For you I will
by Preston101
Summary: Set around 3x18. They were given a chance to save the world, but one had to pay the most terrible price.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Don't own Vampire Diaries in any way, if I did I'd be doing a little dance right now. **

**Set around 3x18**

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The spell that Esther had cast had changed it all. No longer would the vampire race be wiped out, just the one who staked Klaus and for one night, he could be killed by a simple stake. Elijah had volunteered for the job, feeling remorse for the situation he was responsible for. Yet Elijah was the first to die, die at the hands of his brother. Finn soon followed and Rebekkah was last, 'no dead weight' as Klaus had described it.

No dead weight but a thoroughly diminishing army. Within hours, his hybrids had been executed one after the other and were running out almost as fast as his blood supply was. Unbeknown to Klaus was the fact that his Mother and Bonnie were both casting a spell that looked to obliterate every hybrid from the face of the earth with exception to Tyler who had had a protection spell cast over him. By nine o'clock, they had succeeded.

Damon and Stefan were out, searching for Klaus, Tyler and Caroline were lurking somewhere in the grounds of the Boarding House keeping an eye out for whatever danger may be lurking, both were armed with mechanical bows full of stakes and enough Vervain to sink a battleship, yet Klaus slipped by them with ease. Jeremy and Matt were lurking in the foyer both armed with stakes and pacing frantically, he came in through the kitchen. Bonnie and Esther, his own mother, were in the living room, chanting in front of the fireplace, but he didn't speak Latin.

Elena was sat in _his _room, it was the first time he'd seen it. She's sat in his room reading a book, but upon closer inspection sees it to be a journal of the year 2009 and she's at the last part of it, half way through October, looking as though she may cry. Klaus is in through the window in seconds and he'd taken her before she'd barely had chance to scream but when she did and they'd realised she was gone, all hell broke loose.

Klaus drags her out to Wickery Bridge and Elena finds it quite symbolic. She'll die the same place that her parents died, that her old life died. She doesn't beg him, she doesn't cry, instead she turns round to him and says: "You destroyed his life, you destroyed his world and he had never done a thing to you," Then Klaus sinks his teeth into her neck and she lets out a tiny whimper. She had died before and all it had included was darkness that swallowed her up, but this time, this time was different, she saw flashes of everything that meant something to her, but most of all, she saw him.

She saw his face, felt his breath, heard his voice, smelt his scent, tasted his lips, felt the overwhelming surge of love for him and only him... realised with heartbreak, she was too late to make things right between them to tell him how she feels, how much she loves him, instead, she did all she could; she spoke his name.

She awaits death, but it never comes. After five seconds, she drops to the floor, scrambling, she turns, to see Stefan with Klaus in a headlock. His eyes blood shot, teeth as fangs; his expression couldn't even be described as anger, it was an expression similar to the night he had bitten her on that night it had terrified her, now she felt safer than she had done since then.

He had been over a mile away, too far to hear her voice, but he had and he'd followed it and he'd found them and he knew he was the one to kill Klaus. Fury giving him strength, Stefan then wrung his neck and dropped Klaus' body to the floor.

Before it had hit the ground, Elena was on her feet and he was running towards her and he engulfed her in his arms. They didn't have much time.  
"You're OK," He promised as she clung to him, tears running down her face. It didn't even occur to him that she was bleeding. Stefan pulled away from her and cupped her face in his hands.  
"How did you know?" She murmured, clinging to him.  
"I heard you," He replied, "I will always hear you, I love you," He stated as though it were the most important fact in the world.

"I love you, too," She said, crying so hard that her vision is blurred and she can barely see, yet she can make out his face as clear as a picture. "It's you, Stefan, it's always gonna be you!" Then they're kissing and no one else matters. It's the first time in almost a year and it burns them both. It burns Stefan the most because he knows it's the last time.

He pulls away. "Elena, run!" He says and it's an order not to be questioned with. Then she knows.  
"Stefan, no... no way!" She replies and doesn't move.  
"It has to be this way," he murmurs and she throws herself at him again, desperately sobbing. "NO!"  
He shakes his head. "It's OK," He promises, "It's going to be OK, I promise, I love you," He kisses her again.  
"It's not fair, I just got you back!" She exclaimed desperately.  
"I know," He states, "But it had to be this way... I love you, now go!"  
"NO!" She's screaming at him. "I won't let you do this!"  
"You don't have a choice," He whispers and it's the loudest either of them have spoken all night.

"Let me do it!" She begs.  
"No," he shakes his head, desperately aware of the precious time they're losing. "_Please, Elena, go!" _He's begging now.  
"I won't let you leave me again," She states, taking hold of his face tightly. "Please don't do this!"  
It breaks his heart. "I have to, there's no one else," He replies, tears falling down his own face.

She kisses him again and she's now clutching at anything and then she realises, she loves him more than she loves anyone else in the world, much more than she could ever love Damon. "Let ME do it, let anyone do it!" She murmurs, her forehead pressed to his. _"Please, Stefan, don't!" _He shakes his head.  
"I won't let anyone sacrifice themselves for me," He replies, running his hands through her hair.  
"But you'll sacrifice yourself for them?" She asks, tightly gripping his head to hers so he can't make a sudden break.

"For you," he whispers and she's struggling to stay on her feet.  
"Then do this for me," She begs. "PLEASE!" She paused, tears from her face dripping onto his. "I can't lose you again!"  
He shakes his head and kisses her forehead. "I love you, Elena Gilbert, more than anyone could ever love anything on this planet. I always will." He drops her hands as she shakes her head, desperately clinging to him, but she's too weak, too exhausted and collapses to the floor in hysterics.

He turns from his life, from his love, to save them both. He wipes his face, tears leaking out of his eyes and pictures Elena and every plan they ever made and runs through them in his head, he swears that's the only thing that keeps his feet moving – Elena. Stake clutched in his grasp he makes his way towards Klaus at peace with his decision, they'd all be safe after this was over, they could return to normal. She could be happy, whether it was with Damon or someone else, she could have a normal life.

He stood over Klaus and then, in one fluid motion, Klaus was on his feet and Stefan's stake was broken in two and is thrown into the water below. Stefan then fell to the floor, his face burning from where Klaus had punched him.

"STEFAN!" Elena cried, desperately watching where Klaus had now proceeded to kick him, she struggled to her feet and goes to run at Klaus.  
"STOP RIGHT THERE OR HE DIES!" He screamed and Elena stopped in her tracks. "Good girl," He smiled before turning back to Stefan.  
"You think you can kill me?!" He asked and Stefan gave half a laugh, whilst coughing painfully.  
"Well everyone wants you dead,"

Klaus grabbed him by the front of his jacket and pulled him to his feet. "You see I like this," He announced, dragging Stefan the few steps towards Elena. "With your dying breath you utter his name," He directs at her "And he comes running, running to save his precious Elena,"

"Always," Stefan gasps and Klaus grabs his throat, causing him to choke.  
"How?" He asked to no one in particular. "How is it possible to love someone so much that you hear them from across the bloody countryside?"  
"It just is," Stefan gasped and then he turned his gaze to Elena.

"And you?" He started. "He's nearly killed you, he would rip your heart out if I told him to yet you keep on returning,"  
"Always," She stated and her eyes met Stefan's and she had a horrible feeling that this is it.  
"Another thing I like," Klaus said, gazing intently from one to the other with a bemused look on his face. "Through all that blood, through all that ripping bodies to pieces, through all that lack of emotion and you never even touched a girl, did you fella? Barely even looked at one, now you'll never have chance to,"

"Klaus, please..." She murmured desperately.  
"Please, what, Elena?" He turned back to her. "Please let you keep your little boyfriend?"  
"Yeah... I'll leave Mystic Falls with you! I'll let you kill me! I'll let you take all the blood you want!" She begged, tears falling from her eyes. "Please"  
He laughed, "Well I never was one to enjoy a lady crying," He let go of Stefan's throat and he stumbled, choking. "So then Stefan, you give me an answer – one I like and I may consider letting you live,"

He grabbed Stefan by the front of his jacket once again. "What makes you think, you can kill me?" He repeated venom in his voice.

"Because even Mommy dearest doesn't want her little boy to walk the face of the earth anymore," A voice interjected and Klaus looked up to see Damon stood in front of them with a stake shooter in his grasp. "Surprise, Klausy,"

Klaus dropped Stefan as quickly as he'd grabbed him and he staggered, holding his throat. "Stefan," Elena murmured, making to move towards him but he gave her a shake of his head, giving her 'It's gonna be OK' expression and moves his back to her. Klaus turned to run but Caroline was stood in his path, clutching the same weapon. "Hello," She smiled, cocking the stake.

He turned to the left, Alaric's there, once more holding the bow. He wasn't prepared with a witty catchphrase; instead he offers Klaus a look that conveys only a proportion of the hatred he feels for him, the images of Meredith nearly dying in his arms that night scorched into his memory, Jenna's pale, lifeless corpse haunting his every moment, _his _children's lives fraught with pain and anguish as a result of his actions, yes he hated him.

Klaus finally turned to his right to find Jeremy stood there. "It's time you died, Klaus," He stated matter-of-factly.

He turned in a circle, looking from one to the other to the other, he noticed Matt and Tyler lurking around the edges of the circle surrounding him.  
"TYLER!" He shouted, "Tyler, I want you to bite them!"

"You're too late for that Klaus," He replied, his gaze locked on Klaus' hatred in his eyes. "I broke your compulsion, I'm not your little lapdog anymore," Klaus stared at him for a moment, thinking it impossible but then again, no one was on the floor with bite marks in their neck so it must have been true. "Caroline... please," He murmurs, clutching for a way out, petrified that this actually was the end of his existence. "We had something, a connection, it can't end this way!"

"You destroyed one of my _best friends_ you made him fucking evil. You tried to kill Elena over and over again. You killed Tyler; you made him nearly kill me! I never felt anything for you Klaus! I just wanted my boyfriend back!"

He turned once more, before lunging at who he felt was the weakest. He had Jeremy in a headlock in under a second. "DROP THE STAKES!" He exclaimed. "DROP THE STAKES OR HE DIES!" He proceeded to rip Jeremy's ring off his finger and toss it away.

"Don't do it!" Jeremy choked, struggling for air. Alaric dropped his instantly, Tyler, Caroline and Matt a few seconds later, Damon keeps hold.

"Damon, just drop it," Stefan shrugged. "He won," Damon glared at him, before dropping the stake to the ground, furiously. Klaus laughed and dragged Jeremy's bow out of his grasp, tossing it to the floor.  
"Well that's that then!" He smiled and then it occurred to them that Klaus should never be trusted; he proceeded to grab Jeremy's neck. "Say goodnight, Jer..." It happened too fast for anyone to process what had happened.

Jeremy collapsed to the floor and Klaus and Stefan staggered, the stake that he'd been concealing in his belt plunged deep into Klaus' chest.

"Stefan..." Elena gasped, her world falling apart as they both struggled to stand, stumbling backwards. Then Klaus slipped and fell, taking Stefan with him as their bodies plunged into the icy water below. There was silence for a split second, silence before Elena screamed. Before Caroline collapsed. Before Tyler grabbed her. Before Damon stood frozen. Before Ric sprinted and dived over the side of the bridge after Stefan.

There was a splash that roused them all back to the present, instantaneously, Matt dropped his phone and the keys to his truck, then ran and jumped over the side of the bridge with Tyler right behind him following the first two into the water, Jeremy made to go but Elena staggered forwards through her agony and pulled him back down. "Don't you dare!" She stated hugging him. "I am not losing you as well!"

Damon remained there, stiff as a statue. Not moving, transfixed to where his brother had fallen.  
"Go down to the waterside!" Caroline exclaimed suddenly, hurrying towards Jeremy and Elena and pulling them both up. "C'mon!"  
They scrambled to the walkway down to the river and Elena turned back.  
"DAMON COME ON!" She shouted, riling him out of the frozen state he was in and at vampire speed, he was in the water after his brother.

Two minutes went by, then five, then ten, then fifteen. To Elena every second felt like an hour, she and Caroline were up to their chests in water, Caroline had joined the underwater search but had been brought back up by Tyler seconds when he ordered her to stay where he knew she was safe before submerging himself in the water once more as they both began screaming for Stefan, Jeremy having had gone into the river to try and help find him. Bonnie's words were playing in everyone's minds, _'We'll try and find a way around the spell - we'll try and save whoever it is,'_

There was a ripple every so often as Jeremy or Matt came to the surface for air before they submerged themselves again. "STEFAN!" Caroline and Elena had both been shouting for the past quarter of an hour, their voices becoming hoarse. Elena moved into the water up to her shoulders: "STEFAN!" She screamed.

Then she noticed the floating body. "Caroline, do you see that?" She murmured and Caroline hurried to join her friend. "Yeah," She murmured and then they hurried across the water, swimming to the other side, fearing the worst. They turned the body over and Klaus' waxy body came into view.  
"He did it," Caroline uttered, "He's dead," Elena turned, swimming towards where she could stand. She continued to shout his name; she didn't care about Klaus.

It was Tyler who found him. He exploded through the water, gasping and choking despite the fact that he had no need for oxygen, Stefan in his arms.  
"I got him!" He exclaimed, dragging him out of the water. Elena and Caroline hurried towards them and Matt, who had just emerged from the lake for air staggered to the bank.  
"Is he alive?" He asked.  
"Stefan?" Elena had his head in her grasp, "Stefan, wake up, Stefan please!"

One by one they all emerged from the water. No one seemed to care about Klaus, whose corpse lay a few feet away from where Caroline had dumped it.  
"Is he alive?" Jeremy repeated Matt's former question.  
"Move," Damon ordered, pushing through the group, he even pushed Elena out of the way and knelt beside his brother slapping his face hard.

Jeremy stood between Matt and Ric when he felt suddenly aware of his bracelet. He pulled it off and pulled the strands apart to reveal a soaked sprig of Vervain. "Here," He said, passing it to Elena, who wordlessly, dropped to her knees and took Stefan's arm, rolled up the sleeve of his sodden jacket. Praying, she pressed the herb to his skin.

At first nothing happened, and everyone feared the worst. Then his body lurched as a result of his pain, even when she dropped the herb, he continued to struggle. Caroline moved to pull Elena back as she went to grab hold of him but Damon blocked her way, letting his younger brother roll. He suddenly stopped and lay on his back, then turned to his side and began to cough, the water that had fill his lungs escaping through his mouth as he choked and wretched.

Everyone let out a sound of relief. The spell had worked but it hadn't killed Stefan, he was still alive. Bonnie and Esther must have found a loophole.

"Go and get the car," Damon instructed to Matt, then turned to the others. "Get his body in the trunk take it, break it up and burn it, I want it obliterated." As he finished speaking, Matt hurried back up to the bridge to get his keys and phone, whilst Tyler and Ric lifted Klaus' body from the floor and Jeremy announced he going to go and ring Bonnie to tell her what happened, leaving Damon, Elena, Stefan and Caroline alone.

As Damon was speaking Elena finally reached Stefan and pulled him into her arms. "Don't ever do that to me again, OK?" He didn't reply, instead stared up at her.  
"Barbie, go get the car, we'll take him home," It was as he spoke that Elena realised that something was wrong.

His eyes rolled back in his head and he began muttering something. "Stefan, what's the matter?" She asked, as he curled himself into a ball. "Honey, what's wrong?" He began to groan and whimper as though in pain.  
"Damon!" She exclaimed, "Damon something's wrong with him!" Both he and Caroline turned in time for him to start shouting out deliriously the only part that were intelligible were 'I'm sorry' before incomprehensible pain began to take over his body and he began to convulse as though he was having a seizure. It was ten minutes before they got him home, Damon came through the door first, Stefan's arm draped around his shoulder as he dragged his brother along.

Bonnie emerged from the parlour in time for Caroline to emerge through the front door of the Salvatore Boarding House, missing Damon who had disappeared with Stefan.  
"What happened?" Caroline asked, desperately, but Bonnie shook her head, she was white, her hands were shaking as they embraced, a single tear fell from her face, she shook her head.  
"I'm so sorry," She whispered, "We tried, we tried so hard... I think we managed to lengthen the time afterwards... but we couldn't... Esther's gone, I went to the kitchen and came back and she was... gone,"  
"It's OK," Caroline murmured. "It's OK,"

"Klaus is dead," She stated and Bonnie looked at her.  
"Where's Elena?" She asked, suddenly, realising that one of her two best friends, who had a tendency to be a bit of a martyr was missing. "And what about Jeremy – are they OK?" Caroline nodded slowly.  
"They're fine," She replied.  
"Then who?" Bonnie asked, but she could have guessed the answer and a familiar sick feeling clouded her stomach. Caroline looked at her.  
"Stefan,"

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**Preston101 xxxxxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, part 2 :D**

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She heard the screaming, they all did. The pain, the agony, the regret, the guilt, the desperation, the remorse of Stefan Salvatore filled the boarding house as his humanity scorched his mind.

Elena had claimed to them all that he was still in there. The real Stefan, her Stefan, the Stefan who would have died for every single person sat in that room, the Stefan who almost did.

The basement door was ajar from where Damon had gone down with his brother and with every exclamation the sound seemed to magnify.

This was not how any of them had pictured Klaus' demise, everything should have been good, but things hadn't gone to plan, they never did. Bonnie's recount of Esther's departing words still rang in her ears _**'A few days, maybe more, they won't last the week,' **_She felt sick to the pit of her stomach.

Bonnie rested her head against the wooden doorframe as she, like the rest of the party in the living room, listened in silence.

She felt guilty that she wasn't there, hadn't been there to hold Elena as it had happened, that she couldn't have helped to protect her friends... she felt her eyes suddenly begin to prick with tears and they began to roll down her cheeks as she realised what this had come to.

The occupants of the room all sat in their still damp outfits, the fire and heat of the room drying their clothes slowly, yet it didn't make any of them feel any better.

Glancing around the room, she watched as Tyler cradled Caroline in his arms as she drank from the blood bag; she had cried since the second she had stepped through the door and, despite her exhaustion, she would not sleep.

He placed a kiss to her forehead, then whispered something in her ear and she nodded to whatever he had said, he held her tighter and she buried her head in his chest trying to block out the noise of her friend.

Matt stood against the armoire in the corner gazing through the glass at Stefan's collection of model cars, thinking back to the time he had proudly shown them to him, trying to picture his words precisely, in a bid to block out the screaming, when it escalated even further, he punched the glass making them all jump but no one said a word.

Stefan and Matt had never been particularly close, but Bonnie knew what he was feeling, knew what they were all feeling.

She glanced towards Jeremy, he was sat against the fireplace his arms resting across his knees, his head resting on his hands.

As she watched, he raised his head, leaning it back against the wooden hearth; a single tear ran down his cheek and he began to mumble something and, if she didn't know any better, she could swear he was praying.

Out of all of them, Bonnie felt that Jeremy was possibly grateful the most, after all, had Stefan not been there, he would have been lying dead right now.

Bonnie's heart broke as she watched her friends sat there all silently begging, but when she looked towards Elena, hunched in the window, she realised that the combined pain of all five of them wasn't even close to hers.

She held her knees tucked against her chest with her head resting against the glass, her eyes glued on the door of the basement. When another scream exploded throughout the house, she sat up, the blood on her collar becoming more evident, her tear track marks being obvious.

As Bonnie studied her, she could tell she was running over the events of the past few months, her eyes gave that away, she had known Elena Gilbert since she was three years old and she knew that look, it was etched onto her face. Guilt.

The minutes passed and Elena became edgier and edgier, as Stefan's cries reached a crescendo, she would twitch as though she was about to stand, but they would always subside to whimpers before she had time to react.

Around twenty minutes later, when the ear-splitting shout of "ELENA!" broke through the air, she was on her feet and hurrying to the door before anyone could stop her, but Bonnie grabbed her by her shoulder and held her in front of her gaze.

"Honey, leave them!" She stated, firmly.

"No, he's in pain and he's hurting and he's scared!" Elena replied, desperately, but Bonnie held her tightly not letting her go.

"Damon's with him," Bonnie assured her, but to no avail, her best friend seemed to become more and more agitated by the second.

"I gave up on him," Elena murmured her tone full of betrayal, her low lip trembling desperately. "He gave up his entire life to save Damon and to keep us all safe and how do we repay him? I have wasted what time we could have had left, by..." She shook her head as though too disgusted to finish the sentence.

Bonnie wrapped her arms around her tightly and Elena buried her head into her shoulder, devastated, she rubbed her best friend's back as she wept silently into her shoulder. It was going to be a long night.

None of them knew how long they had sat there, but Bonnie guessed it had been hours at least. Casting another glance around the room, she noticed that the silent spell she had cast had worked on some of her friends but not all.

It had knocked Matt cold out and he sat hunched in the leather arm chair, his head lolling on his chest.

Caroline had also fallen asleep but she presumed Tyler's arms, his stroking her hair and whispering gently into it had something to do with it. Tyler himself, still sat awake, his back pressed against the arm of the couch, eyes staring into space.

Jeremy lay asleep in her arms as she had desperately hoped he would, but it was only a light doze, he had repeatedly muttered anxiously yet incoherently, but she had managed to calm him each time by whispering calmly to him and stroking his hair.

Elena, on the other hand, had seemed unfazed by the spell and had resumed her position in the window, knees tucked up to her chest, head resting against the window, eyes locked on the door on the basement.

Stefan's wails had eventually descended to whimpers and then to silence and Bonnie wasn't sure what scared them more.

Heavy footsteps provoked the three of them to sit up expectantly, when Damon came into view; they had some insight into what had gone on just below them.

His hair was greasy and his face was wet with sweat, despite the fact he had removed his shirt and was using it to dry his face as he stood there in his wife beater, which was still a little damp from his earlier diving activities.

He turned and bolted the door firmly shut, the banging noise it made making them jump and was a sound Bonnie was positive would haunt every one of them for nights to come.

Damon lent against the door and none of them spoke a word for at least two minutes.

"I ended up injecting him with Vervain," He stated, wearily. "A lot of Vervain, he should be out until morning."

"Is he gonna be OK?" Tyler asked.

"Oh yeah, he'll wake up and be hunky dory," Damon replied sarcastically, before adding. "No, will he hell."

There was a pause where no one knew what to say, running the nights events through their mind.

"I'm gonna go to the blood bank to stock up on more blood," Damon announced, sullenly, yet no one believed that was the sole reason he was going out. "Leave him," He said to all of the room's occupants, however, directing his words at one in particular.

Fifteen minutes later, the sombre group had dispersed; Tyler had carried Caroline up to one of the guest rooms literally seconds after Damon had left, hadn't reappeared and wouldn't do until morning.

Matt had evaporated into thin air after muttering something about fresh air and Jeremy had woken up with a start, sweat soaking his already damp clothing, shouting out deliriously, reaching out in a daze for anything to cling to, which just so happened to be his ex-girlfriend's hand.

Slowly, he began to acclimatize to his surroundings and took a shaky breath before trying to rid himself of the vivid dream that he'd experienced and neither Elena nor Bonnie had to ask what it was about.

After much assurance from Elena that she was fine, it had ended with Bonnie taking Jeremy and two mugs of steaming coffee into another guest room, they had a lot to work out and Elena was left alone.

She lasted thirty seconds.

Swearing she heard him cry out, Elena was on her feet and at the door of the basement within seconds, the bolt was cool in her grasp as she slid it across, opening it silently so that no one would hear; she closed it behind herself and began her dissension.

Her heart was thumping so loudly in her chest she was sure that even Damon, who must have been fifteen miles away by now, would have heard it.

But there was no sound of Caroline coming down the stairs, no sound of Damon returning and no sound of Stefan stirring.

With every step that her Converse clad foot took down the wooden stairs, she wondered how her normal life as a Suburban Cheerleader had escalated her being a doppelganger incandescently in love with a vampire dying less than a few feet away.

Soon she was stood at the heavy wooden door, staring through the bars. It was dark inside the cell, the dim oil lamp in the hallway barely lighting the room within but she could see him, she could always see him.

He was slumped against the wall on the dirt floor, his back turned away from the door; she could hear him mumbling incoherently. Damon had been wrong, the Vervain hadn't knocked him out – it had barely disorientated him.

Clutching onto the bars, she pressed her forehead onto the wooden slat above the opening staring, transfixed at her ex-boyfriend. Her entire body aching as she watched him suffer.

When his cries seemed to change from a result of anguish to pain, Elena could no longer stand it, undid the bolts and wrenched the door open.

The light spread further into the room as the door was opened and she watched as Stefan whimpered and rolled further into the darkness, frightened by the sudden intrusion.

Carefully Elena made her way toward Stefan, kneeling down behind him and reaching round to stroke his cheek. She wasn't entirely sure if he knew who she was or even if he knew she was there as he continued to whisper and mumble.

She tried to comprehend what he was saying but only caught the single word of 'Elena,"

"It's OK, baby," She soothed, pulling him against her so her back was to the wall and his head lay on her stomach, using it as a pillow. "

Shh, Stef, it's OK, I'm here," She repeated, running her hand along his arm and face trying to calm him.

Her stomach turned when she saw them, the heavy chains that bound his wrists to the wall. Reaching down, she ran her hand over them as if to see if they were locked but of course they were. Fastened with a heavy padlock, a padlock so heavy she wanted to murder Damon.

Trying to ignore it, she turned her head back to Stefan's face, stroking his hair and whispering soothing words into his ear.

She saw as he opened his eyes a few minutes later, for the first time seeming to focus on her.

"Elena?" He murmured in confusion, taking deep ragged breaths. She let out a sigh as he seemed to begin to comprehend his surroundings, looking from her to the room around him.

"Yeah, it's me Stefan," She assured him, rubbing soothing circles on his chest.

"What happened?" He asked, unsurely, staggering Elena at how much he resembled the old Stefan in both his features and tone.

"You don't remember?" Elena looked at him, continuing to rub patterns over shoulder, chest and back, like she used to back in the days when she would awake to his panting, sweating and desperate mumblings as the faces of his victims haunted his sleep, her touch being the only thing that could sooth him.

Stefan shook his head in reply, gazing up into her face, the only thing in the room that didn't seem to be spinning at 1000mph.

He leant back, basking at being in her grasp, the overwhelming pain in his body didn't even register with him at this moment in time because this was the closest and most intimate they had been in almost a year.

"You don't remember..." Elena murmured, softly brushing his hair out of his face. He shook his head, once again, everything that happened that night was blurred

. She bit hard on her bottom lip, tears beginning to form in her eyes as the enormity of the situation dawned on her. "Stefan... you staked Klaus... you saved us all... but this... honey... this is your... this your body shutting down,"

She watched as his expression turned from confusion to recollection, then to realisation.

"You're dying, Stefan,"

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**Once again, let me know what you think! Love it? Hate it? Want to torch it? Let me know :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - ****I am genuinely overwhelmed with the feedback to this story, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!**

**I am uploading this with shaking hands and a racing heart because not two minutes ago I saved over it with the letter 'E' and I don't think anyone would have appreciated that as an update. So that the Lord for backup files! **

**Anyway - here goes, chapter three, hope you all enjoy it!**

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Elena awoke with a start. She was still sat against the wall in the cellar with Stefan's head in her lap, her fingers still intertwined with his as their hands lay on his chest.

She must have cried herself to sleep as unconsciousness had overtaken Stefan's body after pain had driven him delirious once more.

She leant down to check he was OK, placing gentle kisses on his forehead when she was satisfied he was still breathing.

"And what are you doing down here?" The voice nearly made Elena jump out of her skin.

"God, you scared me!" She replied as Damon glared at her.

"Good you scared me when I came back last night to find no Elena!" He snapped, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well it's not like I thought to leave a note," She shot back in a furious whisper, gently running her fingers through Stefan's hair.

"You're a liability, Elena!" He stated, furiously.

"And you're a dick, Damon!" She interjected, suddenly remembering why she was so pissed with him.

"What? Why?" He asked, looking confused.

"Well have a think," She deadpanned. "Rhymes with Mains,"

"It was for his own protection," He sighed, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yeah because he's really a danger to himself," She replied, sarcastically, gesturing to Stefan sleeping in her lap.

"It was only a precaution,"

"Are you going to take them off?" Elena asked, expectantly.

"You might have to," Damon said, reaching into his pocket and passing her a key.

"Me? Why can't y..." She began then it dawned on her. "Vervain? Vervain?! You soaked the chains in Vervain?!"

"It kept him safe!" Damon argued.

"No, Damon, it kept him screaming and crying for half the night!" She retorted, furiously.

"No, Elena, that was his body shutting down," He replied bluntly. "Remember, he is dying,"

"Don't even go there, Damon, not now," Elena snapped, swallowing down tears painfully. "I can't even go there,""You have to, Elena," Damon began as she took the key and inserted it into the lock.

"No, there has to be something we can do," She shook her head, turning back to him. "He cannot die!"

Damon gave half a laugh. "Elena what part of whoever kills Klaus dies do you not understand?!" He demanded.

"The part where a Werewolf bite's fatal to a vampire, yet you're still stood here!" She retorted.

"That was different," He went quiet after that.

"Why? Because it was Stefan who was finding a cure or because it was you who was dying?" She asked, finally turning the key and pulling the manacles off of Stefan's wrist.

He groaned, as they came off and Elena let out a gasp.

His wrists were raw, from the Vervain that had been eating away at them all night.

"Oh god," Damon uttered, he too shocked by the affect the poison had had on him.

"Damon will you just go and try and do something?" She asked her voice low.

"Elena, I..." He began, but she cut him short.

"Damon, go!" She snapped, turning her back to him. "Go and find Esther or look through Grimoires or something. Just get out,"

"He needs to eat," He interjected.

"I got it," She replied, finally letting tears fall, but turning her head so he wouldn't see. After a few seconds he left, trudging up the stairs grudgingly.

She let out a sharp breath as tears ran down her face, trying to control herself as Stefan began to turn his head from one side to the other.

Elena closed her eyes for a second, fearing the worst, but when no cry or shout erupted from his lips; she opened them to see Stefan staring up at her a look of sadness in his eyes.

They stared at each other wordlessly for a few minutes before she lowers her head slightly and he raises his and they kiss gently.

So gently that it breaks their hearts. She then reached for his hands and examined his burnt wrist, it was healing – but slowly, a noticeable lot slower than normal and much too slowly for her liking.

She turned and glanced around the room as she saw a bit of stone hanging out of the wall, she tugged it away and held it to her hand and ripped it across her palm, blood quickly pooling to the surface.

Careful not to spill a drop, she pulled Stefan up in her arms and held it to his mouth, but he moved his head away, afraid of hurting her like last time.

"Stefan, it's OK," She whispers, resting her cheek against the top of his head. "It's OK, I trust you and you need it,"

Gently, she pressed her palm to his mouth and he drinks, he drinks for a couple of minutes as she strokes his hair with her other hand and toys gently with his ear. When he's done he kisses her palm gratefully and looks up towards her.

"I hoped it was a dream," Was all he said and she let out half a laugh.

"Nope, still here," She replied sadly, an ironic smile playing on her lips.

Slowly, he sat up; grateful he was currently free of any agony.

"It's gonna be OK," He promised, joining her against the wall.

"No it's not," She stated.

"Yeah it is, it's over, Klaus is gone,"

"But you might not be here!" She responded, tears forming in her eyes, despite her desperate attempts to keep them back.

"No Elena," He replied, his voice level. "Elena, I _won't_ be here," He watched sadly as her jaw set.

"Don't you dare do that!" She snapped, venom filling her voice.

"Do what?" He asked, startled by her sudden exclamation as it rattled around the stone room.

"Give up!" She exclaimed, desperately. "You'd never let me give up if you thought I was dying, you'd make me fight – fight for every last breath – because, Stefan, you know it's what we have to do, keep fighting, but for some reason you won't,"

"I don't have anything left to fight for," He admitted, painfully and it broke his heart to see her expression change to one of confusion and betrayal.

"So I'm nothing?" Elena demanded, her voice barely above a whisper. "You came through hell, fought everyday to regain your humanity so we could be together again for me to be nothing?"

"No, I don't have anything left to fight for because all I want is to know you're safe and with Klaus gone – you're safe!" He said, meeting her chocolate brown orbs with his green ones.

"I don't give a shit," She said honestly. "I'd rather be hunted down for the rest of my life and know you're OK than have you not with me!"

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing her head against his chest, trying to engulf her from the world and all its pains.

**He was lurking in the corridors of the hospital, out of sight from anyone yet close enough to keep an eye on her through the large window in her hospital room. **

**IVs and Drips were linked up to her as she lay in the bed looking so small and alone. **

**He had watched as a woman in her mid twenties and a boy about fourteen had come to see her, he had watched as she'd screamed and cried as she received the news of her parents death, watched as said woman and boy were told to leave, watched as they sedated her, watched everything that had happened to her that day. **

**It was impossible. The resemblance, it was indescribable.**

**Had he not known better he would have thought it was her but even from what he'd seen today, he knew that she was nothing like Katherine, in fact, she was the complete opposite. **

**It was past midnight when he finally evoked the courage to go and see her, the lights were dimmed and he slipped past the receptionist before entering the room and standing at the foot of her bed.**

**She was so beautiful it was staggering, much more beautiful than Katherine ever had been. **

**He regarded sadly the amount of morphine that was being pumped through her body and felt guilty for not getting there fast enough, for not saving her parents, for barely saving her. **

**"Sweetheart, you're not supposed to be here," A voice behind him announced and he wheeled round to see a nurse in her late forties come into the room armed with a clipboard. **

**"I was just going," he muttered and went to leave the room before she continued.**

**"You're a friend?" He turned back around. **

**"Yeah... something like that." He replied, wistfully. **

**"Yeah well, she'll need all the friends she's got," The nurse muttered, checking her machines and ticking her clipboard. **

**"Is she alone now?" He asked, hesitantly. **

**"No, not alone." She shook her head. "Her Aunt said she's got temporary custody of them" She said. The woman in her mid-twenties, Stefan noted.**

**"Them?" He asked. **

**"Her and her brother, Jeremy," The nurse continued, still ticking. The fourteen year old, he finalised. **

**"But she'll be OK," The nurse stated. "She's a fighter is Miss Elena Gilbert," **

**Elena Gilbert. **

**The most perfect name in the history of the world. **

**It scared him how deeply he felt for her, he couldn't do this, he couldn't get close to someone, not again, especially not her, she needed protecting not hurting. It wasn't fair... but he couldn't walk away. **

**Not now, not ever. He had to get to know her.**

**"It's a miracle she survived... they found her on the bank, no idea how she got out of the car... Mother died instantaneously, hit her head on the windscreen, cracked her skull, Father got trapped, drowned. She would have certainly died if she hadn't broken free," She finished checking her meds and flicked the paper back over the clipboard. **

**"Who did you say you were again?" She asked, looking up but the mysterious young man was gone. **

**He vowed to protect her then and he'd still protect her now.**

"I hate you so much," She murmured, it had been some minutes, since he'd lulled her out of her sobbing state and they now sat together silently in the cellar, her leaning against his chest, him with his arm wrapped securely around her body, holding her against him.

"Hmm?" He asked, kissing her forehead gently.

"I hate you for always wanting to be the good guy," She whispered grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt as fresh tears began to flow.

"Elena, I'm not the good guy... far from it," He replied. "Don't convince yourself of that, you know that better than anyone," He bit down painfully on his lip to keep the images of him drinking from her clouding his vision and pulled her against him even closer.

"No Stefan, when you're you and you're like this it kills you not to be the good guy - why for once could you not be selfish?"

"Elena, I am one of the most selfish people I know," He answered, nuzzling top of her head with his nose.

"Not when you're like this, not when you're you!" She was gazing at him, breaking his heart, her chocolate eyes watering painfully.

"Because I'd rather die than be selfish around you again," He replied simply, pulling her closer to him, sensing her mixture of desperation and anger.

"Well done, then, Stefan, you got your wish!" She pushed him away and stood up, hurrying from the room, tears cascading down her face, up the stairs and out of the front door passing Caroline as she did so, not even looking back despite her calling.

Caroline watched her go, she and Bonnie had just got back from her dad's house where they had gone through every single grimoire that Grams had left her yet to no avail, but there was nothing that could help Stefan.

Steadily, she made her way down the cellar steps, just as Stefan began to stagger up them.

They paused and then she threw her arms around his neck, he shakily wrapping his around her waist, grateful she was here.

"Hey, buddy, how you doing?" She murmured placing a hand on his shoulder as they both settled down on the stone steps.

"I'm OK," he replied, forcing a smile.

"No... you're not," She stated, "Don't lie to me, Stefan Salvatore," She dropped her hand to his lap.

"Where did Elena go?" She asked and he shrugged.

"I dunno, she's pissed, she has every right to be," He looked down at his feet.

"She's not pissed, she's just devastated, we all are," She moved a step closer to him. "Because even as annoying you are, the thought of losing you is incomprehendible,"

He laughed, not having the heart to tell her incomprehendible wasn't a word. "I missed you, Care," He smiled, this time, genuinely.

"I missed you too," She replied, the conversation lulling as they both tried to avoid the looming topic of his death. "We'll find a way round this, Stef," She promised. "You're gonna be fine,"

"Don't lie to me, Caroline Forbes," He mimicked and this time it was Caroline's turn to laugh.

"I'm not, I'm promising you and Caroline Gretchen Forbes never breaks a promise," She stated and was confused by his laughter. "What's funny?"

"Since when was your middle name Gretchen?" He grinned, and received a push to his shoulder.  
"Hey, it's a family name!" She retorted, "Anyway Mr. Big shot , I bet yours isn't much better,"

"No you're probably right," He replied, making no attempt to waylay his middle name.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at him intently.

"Promise you won't laugh?" He checked, and she nodded. "It's Aloysius,"

She bit back a smile. "You said you wouldn't laugh!" He exclaimed, with a grin. She shook her head.

"I'm... I'm not," She stammered, pulling a straight face before doubling over in laughter. She looked up to see him grinning. "What's up with you?"

"It's not really Aloysius,"

"Oh that's mean!" She chastised, playfully pushing him.

"It's Edward... Stefan Edward Salvatore, quite boring really," He enlightened her, then paused. "Damon's is Aloysius,"

She cracked up laughing again. "Seriously?" She asked and he nodded, leaning against the wall a grin plastered to his face.

"But he gets a bit sensitive about it," She doubled over again and when she lifted her head, he looked different.

"Stef, you OK?" She asked, but he couldn't hear her.

Instead he heard screaming, screaming so loud, it made his head almost explode and the agony started again.

His skin began to burn as though it were on fire, his organs felt as though someone was tearing him apart.

He screamed out, beginning to convulse, his eyes rolling back in his head and he continued his desperate ramblings.

"Stefan!" Caroline exclaimed, standing up and hurrying back up the stairs. "ELENA! DAMON! BONNIE! SOMEBODY HELP!" She glanced back towards Stefan just in time to see him fall backwards down the stairs and crash into the wall.

He had to get out, he couldn't stand it, he had to make the pain stop, silence the voice, had to make the images end.

Elena had spent the past couple of minutes, trying to gain composure on the front porch, trying to get the tears to stop.

She had wanted to leave, get in her car and drive away but she couldn't leave him, physically she couldn't. She was just getting it together when she heard it begin again... the screaming.

"No..." She murmured, running back towards the front door, just in time to be knocked against the wall as, at Vampire Speed, whilst falling against the door, Stefan fled from the Boarding House.

* * *

Love it? Hate it? Want to light it up like the fourth of July? Let me know! xxxx


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Split this chapter up into two parts because it was like 5,000 words long... Part 2 will be up by weekend.**

**Again, I just want to say thank you SO MUCH for all the feedback, I logged into my email three days after I loaded and I swear down on the holy name of Stelena, I nearly fainted. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"How the hell did you let him get away?!" Damon exploded to no one in particular.

"Well it wasn't like we planned it, anyway, he's hardly a prisoner!" Caroline retorted.

"Anyway, he was left with you!" He snapped, turning to Elena.

"Yeah, Damon and he got out, but arguing won't make any difference," She replied, grabbing her keys and her purse. "We have to go and look for him,"

"She's right," Caroline agreed. "Damon, go south. Tyler, west, I'll go north. Bon, Elena, go east, take your car, split up and try and find him before someone else does!"

Immediately, they all dispersed.

Tyler and Caroline disappearing into the distance as they sped away at vampire speed.

Elena and Bonnie hurried to where Elena's Ford Explorer was parked in the drive way and were soon driving out of the grounds, leaving Damon still stood in the foyer, muttering to himself, he shut the door and disappeared himself in search of his brother.

* * *

"How you doing?" Bonnie asked, some minutes into their journey.

Elena gave half a laugh as she turned the corner. "I'm... I'm..." She stammered, unsure of what she was. "I dunno," She finalised, pulling a face. "We just need to get him home and sort out this..." She trailed off and leant her head into the hand that wasn't steering.

"We'll sort it, honey, I promise," Bonnie said, reaching over and squeezing her knee. "We'll come up with something we always do," Elena glanced at her and smiled gratefully.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," She murmured and Bonnie returned the smile.

"Join the club," She agreed.

"How's the spell coming on?" Elena asked, nodding to the map on Bonnie's lap and the pendant she held above it.

"I can't track him," She replied, with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, confused. Looking out of the window and scanning the hills for any sign of Stefan.

"I think it's the cloaking spell that Klaus' witch cast when they first left, I don't think it was ever lifted," She explained, closing her eyes and trying again but to no avail, it merely dangled on top of the border of Virginia.

"But Klaus is dead, doesn't that lift the spell?" Elena asked, confused.

Bonnie shook her head. "Not necessarily," She glanced out of her window, she too searching the landscape for him. "The witch must have been powerful, very powerful, it could last forever,"

"Brilliant," Elena sighed. She turned at looked around the entire road. "I don't think he'd have come up here," She muttered, "I'll go back to the crossroads," She reversed her car and Bonnie watched as she did so.

"It's not your fault," She whispered and Elena gripped the wheel tightly as her best friend had just voiced the opposite of what she had been screaming at herself for the last hour.

"Well then, whose fault is it?" She asked rhetorically. "I should have been looking after him, I should have been with him,"

"Elena, it wouldn't have made any difference," Bonnie insisted. "You couldn't have stopped him, Caroline was there and she couldn't stop him and she's a freaking vampire,"

"I could have tried, instead, he's alone and he's hurting and it's down to me," She replied, her voice barely audible as she searched the surrounding fields for him desperately.

"Baby, it's not, I promise you it's not," She tries again, this time pulling on the hand brake causing the car to stop. "Elena, listen to me, none of this is your fault!" Elena turned her head to look at her.

"Stefan is a hero. He saved us all, he killed Klaus. He finished it. He gave us all our lives back. But Elena, at the end of the day it was his choice! You never told him to, you didn't hand him the stake. You are not responsible!"

"Then why do I feel so guilty?" She asked, simply.

"Because you're Elena and you want to protect everyone, but you can't," Bonnie replied, sighing. "Right, I promise you – we'll find him!"

"Then what?" Elena asked sadly.

"Then we take it an hour at a time," Bonnie murmured. "We take it an hour at a time,"

"I can't lose him," She mumbled. "I've had to bury too many people I care about and if it was Stefan or you or Jer or Care, then I don't think I could do it,"

"We will try to find something," Bonnie assured her, careful that she didn't offer her a straw to cling to. "We will try,"

Elena smiled in gratitude. "Thanks, Bon," There was a pause. "I just wish there was some way to... reverse it,"

"What did you say?" Bonnie asked, suddenly.

"Huh?" Elena looked confused.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter,"

Their conversation was interrupted by the loud buzzing of Elena's phone. She scrambled for it, seeing Caroline's ID flash up on her phone.

"Hello?" She said, pressing the phone to her ear.

"_Hey it's me_," She replied.

"Have you found him?" She asked, desperately. There was a sigh.

"_No, Elena, no sign... what about you?_"

"Nothing, we don't even know what to look for," She answered, glancing around the land outside the car.

"_How's Bonnie's spell going?"_ Caroline asked.

"It's not; Klaus' cloaking spell hasn't lifted so she can't track him," She sighed and Caroline tutted on the other end.

"_Typical Klaus, just when we thought we were done,"_ She mumbled.

"What next?" Elena asked.

"_You and Bonnie go back to the boarding house,"_ Caroline instructed.

"No, we'll keep looking," She insisted.

_"Elena, like you said 'you don't know what you're looking for' get back to the Boarding House and wait there in case he comes back – for all we know he's sat on the front steps, locked out,"_

"OK," Elena sighed, "Call if you find him,"

_"Of Course,"_

"Bye, Care,"

_"Bye,"_

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked, looking inquiringly at her best friend as she hung up her phone.

"We're going back to the boarding house to see if he comes back and to carry on looking through more Grimoires," Elena replied, turning the engine back on.

"OK," She nodded, "I'll keep trying," She added, gesturing to the pendant only to find it continued falling on the border over one hundred miles away.

* * *

They arrived back to the Boarding House to find Jeremy and Matt, both of whom had gone to school that day to cover for the others, sat on the doorstep, but no Stefan.

"Hey," They greeted each other and Jeremy came forward to hug them both with one arm each.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie asked, firmly. "I told you to stay in school; Ric did a hell of a job with the principle getting you re-enrolled"

"Ric, says he's sorry but he couldn't leave, Mr. Jenkins is off and he had to cover – but he's looking – all of his documents online – he'll be over as soon as he can," Jeremy explained to the two girls.

He and Bonnie continued her hushed conversation as Elena went to hug Matt.

"Any news?" He asked, knowing of the situation after Bonnie had texted him. She shook her head.

"It's gonna be OK," He promised, pulling her into a tight hug, "It's gonna be OK".

She let everyone in with the key she has, she half tries to explain she kind of owns the Boarding House but from their puzzled expressions she thinks that they think she's gone delirious and they begin to search through more of the Grimoires, for something – anything.

Tyler returns forty minutes later, shaking his head. "Nothing," He sighs, panting, his face red, sweat covering his body. "I thought I caught his trail, but there was nothing, turned out to be an antelope,"

Five minutes later, Elena and Jeremy have vacated to the front porch and are sat on the step, Grimoires still resting in their laps. He wraps his arm tightly round her and pulls her to him, sensing that she was only a fraction away from breaking point.

"Do you remember when we were little, like I must have been five and you must have been what, seven? And Dad went away on that business trip and we broke Mom's favourite vase?" He asked, rubbing her arm, trying to take her mind away from the world for a moment.

"Playing Power Rangers," Elena laughed at the memory. "You always wanted to be the pink one,"

Jeremy laughed as well. "Yeah and she shouted at us, then we went upstairs, and I packed my Spiderman backpack and you packed your My Little Pony one with the most un-useful shit that we had and told her we were moving out and weren't coming back until he came home,"

She smiled. "And we made a den on the front lawn out of her bedding that had been on the washing line,"

"Yeah and we sat in there with Yoyos with no strings and felt pens that had run out for four hours trying to prove a point," He added.

"We were weird kids," She pointed out and he laughed in agreement.

"Special," He corrected her. "Do you think they're watching us?" He asked suddenly and she nodded.

"Every day," She replied, finding her eyes were pricking with tears for the millionth time that day. "And they're so proud of you and I'm so proud of you," She added, kissing the side of his head as she hugged him.

"And if they were here, Dad would be telling you to pull your finger out and not to let a girl like that get away!" She pointed out and he smiled.

"We're taking it slow," He shrugged and she was happy for her best friend and brother.

"Then get back inside with your taking-it-slow-ex-slash-current-girlfriend" She encouraged, swatting him away.

"Will you be OK?" He asked and she nodded,

"I'm fine," She assured him, her voice sounding a lot stronger than she fel, and he placed a hand on her shoulder before returning inside.

* * *

Damon came back an hour later.

He was walking slowly, head drooped, his feet dragging along the floor. He raised his gaze and met Elena's eyes, shaking his head sadly. He dropped down besides her on the step and sighed.

"Nothing," He announced after a moment. "No trail, no scent, no body..." He let out a groan. "I shouldn't have let him out of my sight,"

"It's not your fault," She uttered, running her hand through her hair.

"It's not yours either," He added, looking briefly at her before back out at the woods.

There was silence for a moment.

"So what happens now, Elena?" He asked. "You get him back home now, then what?"

"I don't know," She shrugged. "We just need to think and try and work out something – all of us!"

"All of us?" He asked, sceptically. "Elena, there is nothing to work out! How much clearer do you have I have to make it? Stefan is going to die, your ignorance is pathetic!" He spat.

"Damon, can you hear yourself?" Elena asked, turning to him. "Did you hear what you just said?"

He lowered his gaze to the floor, his jaw twitching.

"If the tables were reversed, he would do anything to keep you safe!" She stated. "He gave up everything to keep you safe and this is how you repay him? Maybe he shouldn't have bothered!"

There was a pause.

"Elena, it's not that I... don't want him to survive," Damon stammered after a minute. "It's that I can't face getting my hopes up, the thought of him dying... I know where I stand. But...the possibility of him surviving, us saving him ... I can't even go there because if he doesn't make it, it'll hurt even more,"

* * *

**There it is! Let me know what you think! Love it? Hate it? Want to explode it Guy Fawkes' style? Please let me know!**

**Love you all :D xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys, chapter 5, it was kinda hard to write so enjoy!**

**BTW: I don't own any of them yada yada yada only this story  
**

* * *

Hours later, after they had just returned from their third time of looking for Stefan, the sombre group sat in the parlour.

Elena had taken to the back porch ringing Stefan constantly, trying to get hold of him because it was the only thing she could think of to do.

Caroline had still not returned from her first search – she had been gone all day.

"So what's next?" Bonnie asked.

"We're gonna take ten then go back out again," Damon responded, then added. "Chin up, hybie, Barbie'll be fine," His newest nickname for Tyler who had 'outgrown' Wolfie. "Drink your blood -You're gonna need all the energy you can get,"

Tyler nodded before announcing. "I'm worried about Caroline... why is she not back yet?"

"Don't worry, Ty, she'll be fine," Bonnie assured him.

"What do I do to help?" Jeremy asked.

"Nothing," Bonnie, Elena and Ric chorused.

"You are staying right here!" Bonnie insisted, firmly. "Stay with Elena, she needs you,"

He nodded slightly before she returned to her spell book as Ric grabbed his keys, announced he was off for another search of the area and left the Boarding House – he'd no doubt check on Meredith, who was still in the hospital. There was no risk of running into him when Jeremy silently mouthed at Matt a few minutes later.

He nodded in response.

"I'm just gonna run to the bathroom," He announced loudly.

"I didn't need to know that," Damon stated, as he pondered over a map with Bonnie.

"I'll go and... err... help," Matt chipped in and hurried after Jeremy and they both slipped out of the kitchen door and ran into Elena, also with car keys in her hand, they obviously had the same plans.

"Jer, go with Elena, go err... right," Matt directed, having no idea where North, South, East or West were. "I'll go left,"

Elena and Jeremy were pulling out the driveway after Matt had driven away.

"You shouldn't be coming," She muttered to her brother.

"Where else would I be?" He asked.

"In Denver, where I know you'll be safe," She replied and he gave a laugh.

"Elena, I love you. But you need to get one thing clear: this is my life!" She turned to him as he spoke.

"No, let me finish! Mystic Falls is my home where the people I love are and if you're in danger, if Bonnie's in danger, Caroline, Matt, Stefan, Tyler... even Damon, I want to be here to try and protect you – end of story," He lowered his head. "Elena, we've already lost Jenna, Mom, Dad, Vicki, Anna... how many people are we gonna lose?"

She let out, a sigh, moving the car forward, as she spoke. "You're right, but I need you safe," She murmured, "I need all of you safe,"

"ELENA!" Jeremy exclaimed and Elena looked around just in time to slam on her brakes to stop her running down Caroline.

"Oh my god!" They uttered at the same time, hurrying to get out the car. Caroline was nearly on her knees, practically white with exhaustion.

"Care, are you OK?" Elena asked, pulling her into her arms and she nodded meekly in reply.

"He' 'fan," She gasped, barely standing.

"What?" She murmured, brushing her best friend's hair, which was wet with sweat, out of her face.

"Help, Stefan!" She managed to get out. Elena looked at Jeremy and glanced around wildly, no sign of him.

"Caroline, where is he?" She asked, helping her to the floor, desperate to find him.

Slowly, Caroline lifted a finger to point in the direction of the woods. "I couldn't carry him any further,"

"Take her into the house!" Elena said to Jeremy and he lifted her into his arms and hurried back towards the Boarding House, shouting Bonnie, Tyler and Damon's names.

"STEFAN?" Elena exclaimed, hurrying through the woods. "STEFAN?" She made out his slumped form some hundred yards from where Caroline had emerged.

"STEFAN!" She raced to his side, lifting his head into her grasp, she gasped as his face became illuminated in the moonlight.

He looked as though he'd been caught in a house fire, burns covered his skin to a point where his flesh was raw and cuts covered his arms and hands upon inspection and he was barely breathing.

"Baby," She murmured, gently running her hand over his chest.

"Stefan, can you hear me?" She felt something wet and sticky and raised her hand to see it was covered in blood. "Oh my God," She uttered.

She moved to her knees and tried to lift him, finding her was too heavy. "C'mon, Stef, please," She murmured and then became aware someone was shouting her name.

"Damon?!" She replied.

"Elena, where are you?!" Damon called.

"Over here!" She answered. "I have Stefan, Damon quick!" He was by her side within ten seconds.

"Oh my God," he muttered, under his breath.

Wordlessly, he reached for Stefan's arm and pulled it around his shoulder, pulling him to his feet, Elena did the same and together they hurried back towards the Boarding House.

As they reached the driveway, Jeremy came back out, having passed Caroline into the arms of Tyler and took over Elena's arm as he and Damon moved faster towards the parlour.

In the light of the room, Elena wanted to be sick.

Had she not known it was Stefan, she wouldn't have recognised him.

His skin was raw, where it wasn't burnt or cut or bruised it was grey.

Tyler was already returning with about ten blood bags when Elena ran through the front door, having gone to the fridge at Vampire speed.

She crouched down besides the couch they had laid him upon and softly murmured his name, encouraging him to open his eyes. She glanced over at Caroline who was now drinking ravenously out of one of the blood bags Tyler had handed her.

She was glad to see her slowly regaining colour and took the blood bag that Damon handed to her, whilst the rest of the room watched in silence.

She dropped some blood into his mouth and watched with relief as he moved his lips, absorbing it into his system.

"What happened?" Damon asked, looking shocked, never in 150 years had he seen any vampire have the affects his brother and friend were having.

Caroline had finished her fourth bag by the time she gained the energy to speak. "I couldn't trace him, like at all, he'd left nothing,"

"What does that mean?" Jeremy asked, confused.

"It means that he was running so fast he barely touched the floor, meaning he couldn't leave a scent." Damon muttered, finally getting it.

"I was about forty miles away when I finally caught something, against a tree," She explained, still panting slightly.

"How is that possible if he didn't leave a scent?" Bonnie asked.

"He kept collapsing," He murmured, glancing at his brother. "That's how you tracked him?" He asked and Caroline nodded.

"At first it was about every mile or so, then half, then it got less and less," There was silence before Elena asked what they were all thinking.  
"Where did you find him?" Caroline swallowed.

"The border," She murmured. Everyone's mouths dropped.

"He got to the Virginia border?" She asked in shock but Caroline shook her head slowly.

"No... Ohio," A resounding gasp came from Bonnie and a "Holy Shit" Damon, Tyler and Jeremy.

"That's impossible," Tyler resounded, "That's nearly what, 3... 400 miles?"

A deathly silence fell upon the group as they realised the trueness of Tyler's words.

"When I got there, he'd... he'd got himself caught up in a fence of Barbed Wire. So exhausted and in so much pain... he couldn't move." She stammered slightly at her next statement. "He'd... he'd got his hand stuck and his ring was sliding off his finger..." She trailed off.

"Hence the burning," Damon concluded.

"C'mon baby drink!" Elena urged, holding the bag to his lips and squeezing it gently but he was unresponsive.

"That's not gonna do it," Damon intercepted, "Give it,"

He took the blood bag of Elena and held it to his brother's mouth, squeezing the entire contents into his mouth within seconds, causing him to gag slightly as he began to regain consciousness.

"Tyler, another," He held out his hand and Tyler passed him one, this time, he ripped the top of the bag off, and opened his mouth to pour the whole lot in.

He wretched, trying to force the bag away with shaky hands, but Damon turned to Elena. "Hold his hands down!" He ordered, reaching for another.

"What?" Elena was shocked at his demand but he turned and glared at her.

"Damon, he's had enough!" Caroline intercepted, fearing what they all were. "Don't tip him over the edge!"

"She's right!" Bonnie agreed.

"Imagine staying awake for a week, with no food or water, the exhaustion and agony he's feeling is about ten times that!" Damon snapped, emptying a third into Stefan's mouth.

"Now hold his hands!" He turned to Matt and Jeremy. "You two, his chest" Then added "Now!" when they hesitated.

Gently, Elena took hold of his hands and her brother and ex-boyfriend held him down, keeping them away from the blood poured into his mouth.

"Shh, shh," She soothed, stroking his hands in a slow motion but he continued to struggle.

By the sixth, it was like torture to watch. Tears had starting pouring half way through the fourth, first by Stefan, then by Elena and Bonnie and Caroline soon after.

"It's OK," Elena murmured, softly, knowing he could hear her. "One more, just one more,"

He was on his ninth when his eyes changed. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Elena found herself screaming, petrified of the affect the blood was having on him.

Terrified at the fact that his skin had only partially healed, revealing yet more grey and pale skin.

Damon backed away, tossing the bag to the floor, on top of the pile.

Stefan released the most guttural groan that any of them had ever heard before he began to gag and turned and vomited blood all down the side of the couch onto the floor.

Gradually, his eyes and fangs reduced to normal and he lay there sweating, everyone too scared to move.

Elena moved to rub his back in comforting circles as he continued to choke and wretch. Damon caught Bonnie's gaze and if looks could have killed he'd have been sprawled on the floor.

"You're OK, you're OK," Elena murmured over and over again into Stefan's ear, happy to see that he was starting to gain some colour and that his skin was, in fact, slowly healing.

"Why's he not healing properly?" Matt asked, watching Stefan with horror.

"His body's slowly shutting down, his healing is as well,"

"Oh right," Matt mumbled, not expecting such a blunt answer.

"Give him five minutes then we'll take him back down," Damon announced, folding his arms across his chest in expectation.

"Back down where?" Jeremy asked.

"The cellar," Bonnie murmured, the words like acid on her tongue.

"No way," Elena inputted, so forcefully everyone looked at her. "He's not going back down there!"

Damon scoffed at her. "Yes he is,"

"No he's not," She stood up, shocked at how powerful her voice came out when she felt so close to breaking point. "Over my dead body is he going down there!"

"Trust me, Elena that can be arranged!" He replied, his voice low.

"He can't pull a stunt like this again!" He snapped and she shrugged.

"Then I'll stay with him," She stated, glancing back towards the sofa where he was now lying, deliriously, watching the conversation in silence, probably not understanding a word of it.

"24 hours a day?" He asked, sceptically.

"Yes," She vowed, "Whatever it takes to protect him," her voice was so strong that Bonnie swore she'd never been proud of her.

"He'll have gotten away by morning," he remarked. "He's safer down there!"

"What do you classify as 'safe' Damon?" Elena asked, stonily. "Restraining him with chains covered in Vervain?"

He opened his mouth to reply but Caroline cut in.

"You put chains covered in Vervain on him?!" She thundered and before anyone could blink, Damon had been thrown back against the staircase, with Caroline gripping his throat so tightly he was turning purple.

"Caroline!" Bonnie and Elena exclaimed whilst the boys shared looks of approval at her strength. "Caroline, this isn't helping anything!"

"Is that what all that screaming was, Damon?!" She demanded, was that what we listened to all last night. "Pain that you caused, you could have prevented?!" He tried to push her off but tightened her hold.

"You've been tortured with Vervain, Damon!" She exclaimed, furiously. "You know what it's like and after everything you put him through that! WHY?!"

"He didn't know what was happening!" He choked. "He was... having seizures... and he ripped the other chains out the walls first time round!" She threw him to the floor.

"So you tortured him?!" She kicked him whilst he was down. "You make me sick!"

She turned and reached for Stefan, pulling him onto his feet as he staggered slightly.

"C'mon," She urged and together, she and Elena took him upstairs.

Bonnie paused for a moment, looking with distain at Damon, before waving her hand across the room, clearing the blood Stefan had vomited up off the floor and all of the used blood bags into the fire before walking past the boys, Jeremy reaching to loosely take hold of her hand as she walked past him, intertwining their fingers and letting them drop as though nothing had happened.

"Will you be OK?" Caroline checked as she carefully lowered Stefan onto the bed with Elena who proceeded to pull off his boots.

Elena nodded, helping him back onto his pillows as he emitted another groan.

"We'll be fine," She stated, forcing a smile.

"I'll leave you to... sort him out," Caroline said, referring to his torn and bloody clothes and the blood that covered his body.

She had just turned to go when Elena called her name, she as Elena was climbing off the bed and hurrying across the room and they met in the middle, giving each other back breaking hugs.

"Thank you," Elena murmured, "Thank you for bringing him home," Caroline hugged her back tightly.

"He'd have found his way back eventually," She half laughed. "Found his way back to you," Elena shook her head regretfully.

"I don't think he would have done this time," She stated sadly and Caroline, gave her a sympathetic smile, letting her go. "Call me or shout if you need me," She checked.

"Care," She said and she turned at the doorframe. "That was the best thing I've seen all day,"

"He's a dick," She stated, matter-of-factly.

"He tries..." Elena tried but trailed off.

"Not hard enough," She shrugged and then she was gone. Elena turned back to the bed where Stefan lay in time for him to open his eyes.

"Elena?" He murmured.

"It's OK, I'm right here, baby," She replied, stroking his hair. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here,"

"It hurts," He whispered, painfully.

"I know," She breathed, their foreheads resting together. "I know, but it'll be OK, I'm promise it'll be OK,"

Tears were running off his nose. "No..." He mumbled. "I don't want you to see me like this,"

"Tough," She replied. "I'm not going anywhere... It's you and me, Stefan... always,"

But for how much longer, she didn't know.

* * *

**Dun Dun Dun! Well that was that.**

**Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? Want to have the effects of a magnifying glass in a forest? Let me know :D**

**Love you all, Preston101 xxxxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry I've not uploaded in like a week. I've been meaning to upload since Saturday but I've had sooooo much work it's untrue. Anyway here it is - Chapter 6! Enjoy!**

* * *

"I don't like it up here, it's creepy!" Caroline murmured and Bonnie looked at her.

"Caroline, you're a vampire!" She pointed out and Caroline gave her a look.

"Yeah and? I'm still allowed to be frightened!" She whispered.

"Of the dark?" Bonnie asked, sceptically.

"You can be really mean, you know that?" She snapped, gently pushing her.

Bonnie let out a laugh. "The light's in the corner!" She smiled gently.

"Will you do it?" Caroline asked and Bonnie laughed again, walking over and turning it on.

"See? Not scary at all," She said, as the attic of the Salvatore Boarding House was lit up showing its hoard of various boxes.

"I know," Caroline shrugged as she and Bonnie moved forward to investigate the piles of boxes.

"Right well, Damon said they'd be somewhere near the back," Bonnie announced as they began to scour through box after box to try and locate more Grimoires in a bid to find a cure for Stefan.

They searched for well over half an hour until they finally began to get somewhere, soon there were ten more Grimoires in their hands - ten more stabs at hope.

"Do you think that's it?" Caroline asked, from her position at the back of the attic.

"Erm... I think so," Bonnie replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "He said there were ten or eleven, so... just check those last few just in case,"

"OK," She moved further towards the back and pulled a small wooden chest out. "Hey, Bon, look at this," She called and Bonnie lowered the Grimoire she was holding to the floor and went to see what her friend was doing.

"What is it?" She asked and Caroline shrugged in response.

It was old – really old and blowing the dust off it she could make out the faded initials of S.E.S - _**'It's Edward... Stefan Edward Salvatore - quite boring really,'**_

"Caroline?" Bonnie voice brought her back to her senses. "What is it?"

Wordlessly, Caroline ripped off the rusty padlock and opened the lid and they were both shocked by what was inside.

* * *

Elena was led with Stefan in bed with his head resting on his chest in the same position where he had fallen asleep in an hour earlier when Bonnie and Caroline knocked lightly and crept into the room.

"Elena, come see what we found!" Bonnie whispered.

She looked at them, confused, before gently rolling Stefan onto his back, grateful his slumber wasn't disturbed and slipped out of bed.

"How's he doing?" Caroline asked and Elena nodded, weakly.

"He's... OK," She replied, brushing hair out of her face. "He doesn't seem to be in pain for now,"

"That's good," Bonnie smiled, before changing the subject. "Right we were going through the attic looking for Grimoires and look at what we found,"

She opened the box to reveal the contents and Elena's jaw dropped.

The small chest was full of a myriad of things from Stefan's childhood. The first thing she reached for was a very worn and battered teddy bear that showed its age.

"It belonged to Stefan when he was a kid," Bonnie enlightened her, and Elena looked in wonder at her friends as to where they found such a thing.

"We found this box in the attic," Caroline stated as all three of them smiled at the thought of Stefan as a child curling up in bed with his teddy bear, unable to sleep without it.

"These are seriously cute," She stated, passing the few photographs that were in the box between her two friends.

Elena examined the photograph that had been given: He was about five or six years old and sat on a chair, smiling at the camera with no front teeth, dressed in a sailor suit.

Caroline was right he was ridiculously cute.

"I've been up there like ten times, where did you find this?" She asked in astonishment, not looking up from the first picture she had ever seen of Stefan as a child.

"It was right at the back," Bonnie put in as she and Caroline carefully placed the contents of the floor onto the box.

"Who's this?" Bonnie asked, passing the picture she was holding to Elena where a woman in her early twenties was holding a baby in a dress and a bonnet.

"I'm assuming it's his Mom," She replied, remembering the photograph Stefan had shown her back when they were dating of his Mother and Father on their wedding day.

"She's so beautiful," Caroline observed, taking the photo from Elena and examining it. "Did she...?" She began and Elena nodded.

"When he was four,"

"Poor little guy," She sighed and they continued to peruse the collection.

Elena's favourite turned out to be one of when he was around four, sat on the back of a horse in a thick turtleneck jumper with the reins in his hands, looking very pleased with himself. Her eyes welled at the fact he was so small, his dark shorts met his long socks at his knee... she'd never really pictured Stefan as a little kid.

"What do you think his name is?" Bonnie wondered aloud, picking the teddy up.

"Jimmy," Caroline replied, absent mindedly, not looking up from what she was reading.

"How do you possibly..." She began as they both looked towards their best friend but she waved the book in response.

"What is that?!" Bonnie asked, looking quizzically at the book.

"That's his first journal," Elena stated, pointing to the book in amazement, recognising the faded green cover from what Stefan had described to her one night.

"Listen to this," Caroline said, turning back to the first page and reading aloud. "My name is Stefan and I am seven years old. When I grow up I want to be a doctor so I can help people."

She was 'awwing' aloud when Bonnie caught sight of Elena's expression.

"Care..." She murmured and gestured for her to stop.

Sensing she wanted to look at it herself, Caroline passed to journal to Elena who held it in her hand.

Running her fingers over the small leather bound book was bent around the edges, the pages yellowing, the handwriting in it like any seven year old's not like a one hundred and sixty four year old vampire's.

When she flicked through the book, saw every page was filled with some form of entry, whether writing or drawings.

When she reached the middle one last picture fell onto her lap.

Picking it up she saw Damon and Stefan, Stefan no older than eight, Damon at least fourteen, they were stood beside a lake, Stefan on Damon's shoulders, wearing swimming trunks that came halfway up his chest and down to his knees, Damon in his trousers and braces. Both looking so happy and... innocent.

* * *

**Late one Wednesday night, Stefan and Elena lay in her bed, having only just got ready for bed after spending the entire night focussing on other activities.**

"**You're so beautiful, you know that?" Stefan murmured, tucking some of Elena's hair behind her ear as she lay on top of him, her chin resting on his chest. **

"**No, I'm really not," She replied, blushing. He smiled, leaning to kiss her gently.**

"**Yes, you really are," He insisted, rolling them over so he was on top before moving his lips to her neck. **

**She giggled as he nipped her neck playfully, before moving his face so his stubble was tickling the skin there. **

"**Stefan!" She objected, laughing, pushing him off her. **

"**What, you ticklish?" He asked, innocently, but she saw that glint in his eye.**

"**No, Stefan!" She tried but he was already running his fingers down her sides as she writhed beneath him. "Stefan, please!" She cried, but he just tickled her harder. "Please!" She gasped, a mixture of laughing and choking. **

**He continued his assault of her for another minute before finally letting her go.**

"**Oh my God you're such a dick!" She muttered, slapping him in the chest as she struggled to catch her breath.**

"**What about my dick?" Stefan grinned and she just looked at him.**

"**That's it!" She announced. "I'm withholding sex for a week!" **

"**You're withholding sex for a week?" He asked, sceptically and she nodded defiantly. **

"**Even if I do this?" He moved his lips back to her neck, kissing and nuzzling it, making sure he hit that sensitive spot below her ear. "And this?" He added, slipping his hands beneath her tank top. **

**Half an hour later, they both collapsed back onto the mattress, sweat covering them, panting for breath, hair sticking out in all directions. **

"**Impressive withholding skills, 'Lena," Stefan quipped, stroking her cheek. "Real impressive,"**

* * *

"Do you think he would have wanted this... y'know either of them, if they were given the choice. Stay human or... become vampires?" Elena asked, coming back to reality.

Caroline nodded immediately. "Absolutely," She stated firmly. "Of course he would've wanted this. Because if he hadn't become a vampire, he'd never have known you, and knowing you, that has made all that pain worth every second,"

* * *

**Badum! **

**Sorry it's kinda short, but I promise, next chapter with be up by Monday! What's gonna happen?! You're gonna have to wait and see!**

**So let me know what you think... Love it? Hate it? What to come after it with a pitchfork? Let me know**

**Preston101xxxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: S'up minions, here you go - chapter seven! **

**Finally something is starting to be done... but is it too late?!**

**I own nothing (sigh)**

* * *

When Stefan woke, the inside of his eyelids were met by a red glare that he assumed was his bedside lamp.

He didn't want to open his eyes.

For the first time in hours, the pain had subsided, his sleep had been a constant battle between rest and agony, his body had been so exhausted that he could merely lie there through it, finding little comfort in his slumber just pain and the faces and screams of those who had perished at his hands.

He could sense her presence before he'd even smelt her perfume, his head was resting on her chest and the sound of her heartbeat filled his ears, calming him, making him feel safe.

She was gently running her hands through his hair when she spoke.

"Don't pretend to be asleep, Stefan Salvatore!" She mock scolded, pressing her lips to his hair.

His eyes slowly opened and locked on hers.

Elena felt sick at the colour of his them, they had drained from the vibrant emerald that they had always been, so full of life, to a sunken lifeless mixture of grey and yellowy-green and it petrified her.

"What time is it?" He groaned after a second.

"About one," She replied, helping him to sit up slightly. "You've been asleep about four hours,"

"You're still awake," Stefan stated and she nodded.

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure you were OK and Bonnie and Caroline came a couple of hours ago to see how you were and they brought something they'd found in the attic,"

"What was it?" He asked, yawning and settling himself back on his pillows.

"I believe his name's Jimmy," Elena said smiling, lifting the worn teddy bear that was on the floor and passing it to Stefan.

He let out a laugh. "Jesus," He murmured, examining his old companion. "I've not seen him since I was like ten years old... where did they find it?" He added.

"They were going through the attic and found this box of stuff that belonged to this cutie," She enlightened him, picking one of the pictures out of his chest, just happening to be the first one she'd seen of him.

"Check me in my badass sailor suit," He smiled, gazing at the picture of the boy he had not seen in a long, long time.

"The lack of front teeth is what got me," Elena replied, leaning against him.

"Well y'know, give him a break, he's like five and he'd just had removed by the dentist because they got stuck in his gums, he suffered for his looks,"

She looked at him. "He suffered for a lot,"

They locked eyes for one second and then their lips collided together, it started off slow and gentle but within seconds, it had become heated, one of their make outs that gave the unspoken statement of what was to come

His hands slid swiftly beneath her top, running his fingers along her sides.

They broke apart as Stefan slipped her shirt over her head, letting it drop to the floor.

Elena went back in for another kiss, but he caught hold of her face in his hands, taking in her flushed cheeks, her swollen lips, her eyes dark with desire.

_The last time_, he thought, he knew.

He should stop it, he knew he should but he couldn't.

He gazed at her; stunned by the fact such a beautiful and perfect woman could love him so much.

For a small amount of time, they could forget, forget he was dying, forget they wouldn't be together, that it would all be over soon.

_For the last time. _

He moved his head back down, his lips colliding with the column of her throat a moan falling from her lips as he sucked and licked at the small spot behind her ear.

"Stefan...I love you," Elena managed to choke out as his lips began to move further down her chest kissing the exposed flesh, she could barely breathe, Stefan's mouth evoking feelings that had long since gone unfelt.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as he sucked a nipple into his mouth through her lacy bra.

It wasn't possible to love someone this much.

She was vaguely aware of him expertly undoing her jeans with one hand, when a sudden scream nearly made her almost have a heart attack.

Her eyes flew open to see Stefan on the bed, shouting out, deliriously shuddering.

"Stefan!" She exclaimed, sitting up and reaching for him, but he fell backwards off the bed, hitting his head against the wooden floorboards.

She climbed off the bed and was at his side within five seconds.

"Shh, shh, baby it's OK," She murmured, running her hands through his hair in a vain effort to calm him.

He began to shout louder, writhing beneath her and batting her hands away as he struggled to breathe through the worst pain he had ever experienced in his life.

"Stefan, it's gonna be alright," She insisted, trying desperately to calm him down, when he writhed away and began to pull himself to his feet, she was petrified he would run again.

"Stefan, please!" She begged, trying to move him back to the bed but he fell to the floor once more his feet unable to maintain his weight.

"It's OK, sweetie, it's OK," She tried, holding his head between her hands. He looked at her, his eyes unfocused, confusion etched on his face.

"Katherine?" He mumbled, Elena shook her head desperately.

"No, Stefan, it's me it's Elena," She insisted.

"K...Katherine," He stammered, almost incomprehensibly. "You did this!"

"Stefan!" She tried but instead, he let out yet another exclamation of sheer agony.

"Elena?" Came Bonnie's voice and the door swung open and she, Jeremy and Damon nearly fell into the room, they gathered themselves in time for the blood to begin to roll from his lips.

"Oh my god," they uttered as they stood there looking white.

"Please, just make it stop!" Elena begged, now clutching Stefan's head desperately trying to calm him, tears rolling down her face and falling onto his, as he thrashed around on the floor screaming and writhing in agony.

The fact she was in her bra not occurring to either herself or the other occupants of the room.

"Dear God, make it stop!" She repeated, as he continued to shudder and kick, each cry being louder and more agony filled than the last.

Bonnie hurried forward, and knelt besides Stefan and Elena, placing a hand onto his head, keeping it there despite his thrashing she murmured a few words beneath her breath and he was suddenly still.

"There," She murmured, sitting back on her heels.

"What did you do?" Jeremy asked, still shocked at the situation before him as he watched his sister, rock with him on the floor, whispering to him as he mumbled, no longer in pain just delirious.

"I destroyed his pain nerve," She answered, glancing around the room and reaching for Elena's strewn top before anyone else had even noticed it wasn't on.

"It's OK," She murmured, more to Elena than anyone else in the room, passing her the top before turning back to the others. "Damon get him back on the bed," She instructed turning to him and obediently he went over and picked him up.

"C'mon, brother," he whispered, lifting him onto the mattress and when he'd turned back around, Bonnie had just finished helping Elena with her top as she had been fumbling with it, still in shock.

"See what I mean now?" He asked her simply, but she didn't reply and he knew she did.

"Damon, leave it," Bonnie urged, taking him by the arm and trying to pull him from the room.

"It's only gonna get worse, Elena!" He stated before turning and storming from the room, Bonnie at his heels.

"Jer, c'mon," She urged, reaching for Jeremy's hand and pulling him from the room to leave them alone.

Elena doesn't reply to Damon's statement.

Doesn't look at Bonnie or her brother.

Doesn't acknowledge when the door closes.

She just reaches for a wad of tissues from the box beside his bed and wipes away the blood that had leaked from his mouth and nose before curling up into his chest and sobbing into his now lifeless form, begging silently for a miracle.

* * *

"I'm gonna go to try and track down Esther," Bonnie announced as the three of them entered the parlour.

"What good will that do?" Jeremy asked, and she shook her head.

"I dunno, there might be some loophole, anything," She shrugged, pulling on her jacket. "Anything is better than sitting around here and letting... that carry on," She paused breathing heavily and Jeremy wrapped his arms around her.

"What can I do?" He asked, placing a kiss against her hairline. "You want me to drive you?"

"No, I'll drive her, you stay here," Damon interrupted, grabbing his keys. "C'mon witchy, we've got ourselves a well... witch to catch,"

"Just get some sleep," She replied, resting her forehead against his. "Please," And he nodded in reply. "It's like two in the morning and you've not slept in 24 hours,"

"Neither have you," He pointed out and she smiled gently.

"Yeah well," She shrugged, "I'm not tired,"

"Hey, are you coming?" Damon called from the doorway.

"Yeah," She replied, kissed Jeremy swiftly on the lips and hurried from the boarding house, grabbing her map and pendant from the table in order to do a locator spell to find Esther before slamming the door behind her.

"Bye then," Jeremy murmured as he was left standing in the parlour alone.

Bonnie was dozing against the window as Damon drove.

They had managed to locate Esther almost immediately.

They had been surprised to find that she was still in Virginia, only a couple of hours away in Halifax, and that was where they were they'd been – only to find an abandoned warehouse.

She was gone and had put a cloaking spell on her whereabouts. Now they had to make the journey back to the Boarding House and face the prospect that they had lost yet another possible method of saving Stefan.

She dreamt as she slept, dreamt of their lives before, how simple they had been, dreamt of those lost, dreamt of Grams.

* * *

_"I wish there was some way we could reverse it," _

_Grams was stood in front of her and hugged her tightly as they stood in the graveyard. _

"_Be strong, Bonnie," She stated. "You're the only one who can save them,"_

"_Grams, I don't know what to do!" She insisted, desperately. "Tell me what to do," The old lady brushed hair from her face before kissing her forehead._

"_You're the only one who can save them," She repeated. "It comes from inside,"_

"_But we looked through all the Grimoires!" She insisted, "There is nothing!"_

"_Who wrote them?" Grams asked and Bonnie cocked her head in confusion._

"_What?" She responded._

"_Who writes the spells in Grimoires?" She prompted._

"_W...witches," Bonnie stammered. _

"_Exactly," Grams nodded, and hugged her granddaughter, kissing her forehead. "I am so proud of you baby," She stated. "Every day," _

"_I don't know how though!" Bonnie said, desperately. _

"_You do," She nodded, stroking her hair. "You do – but you don't have much time," _

"_I don't have the power!" She insisted. "Grams, I..."_

_She pressed her hands to her granddaughter's shoulders, silencing her. "Bonnie you have more power that I ever dreamed you could have!" She stated, brushing hair from her face. "Look what you did with Esther, everyone knew you could do that! You just have to believe in yourself! You have to realise that before it's too late,"_

_With that, she turned and looked at the gravestone in front of them, Bonnie looked as well. _

_"Remember Bonnie, you can't resurrect someone who's not dead,"_

_Stefan Salvatore, May 2012.  
Couldn't be saved._

* * *

Bonnie gasped as she awoke. Her heart was pounding in her throat and she looked around wildly, her eyes catching Damon's questioning stare in the dark.

"What's the matter?" He asked. She swallowed, regaining composure.

"N...nothing," She murmured, "Bad dream," He nodded before turning his eyes back to the road.

"_You can't resurrect someone who's not dead" _

The statement rang in her ears, it hadn't been a dream, it felt too real. However, regardless of whether it was real or not, Bonnie knew exactly what she had to do.

* * *

**What's she gonna do?... You're gonna have to wait and see...**

**You know what to do guys :D**

**Love ya!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! **

**Finally broken up for half term so to celebrate here's the first of two chapters, enjoy.**

* * *

Elena placed the damp washcloth to Stefan's forehead, gently murmuring to him.

It had been around two hours since his last outburst and it was nearing five in the morning, she felt exhausted, yet she was petrified of what might happen if she succumbed to sleep.

Bonnie had briefly been in to see how Elena was doing after she and Damon had come back; she'd brought with her a cup of steaming coffee and a bottle of blood for Stefan.

She didn't even have to ask to know they hadn't been able to find Esther, she could tell from the look on her best friend's face, but there was something about her face, a look she couldn't quite place. Something she realised some hours later – hope.

Stefan had finally screamed and cried himself into a state of mumbling.

His body was wet with sweat, the covers were in a heap to the foot of the bed where he had thrashed around in his sleep, he now seemed to have resorted to desperate ramblings, his speech incomprehensible.

"It's OK, baby," She breathed, stroking his cheek with the back of her fingers, his face damp and cold with sweat and the cold night air from the balcony doors she'd opened to try and keep him cool. "You're alright, I'm here, I'm right here," She repeated for what seemed like the millionth time that night and as she brushed her lips against his ear, he seemed to calm considerably, still mumbling and muttering but not longer twitching.

"Elena..." She managed to make out and he raised his hands, as though to reach out for her and she gently took them in her own.

"I've got you, honey," She breathed, pressing her forehead against his before kissing it. "I've got you, sweetie, I'm right here,"

"You really should consider nursing as a profession," Damon stated, and she turned to see him leant against one of Stefan's bookshelves. "You really have an excellent bedside manner,"

Elena smiled ironically at him."How long have you been there?" She asked, her voice seeming to sound alien to her.

He shrugged, "Not long... a couple of minutes... how's he doing?" He nodded.

She looked back towards Stefan, brushing hair from his face. "He's getting worse," She replied honestly.

When he had been screaming and thrashing, he was fighting; there was something inside him that had fight and energy. Now he lay there, slowly becoming weaker.

"He's not making any sense anymore," She stated, he just keeps repeating the same thing.

"What does he say?" Damon asked, straightening up.

"It's not even English," She replied. "It's like medespeechie or something"

"Mi Dispiace?" He checked and she nodded, looking confused. "Yeah it's not English... it's Italian,"

"Italian?" She looked from Damon to Stefan and as if on cue, he twitched slightly and began mumbling once again. "Shh, Shh, Shh," She breathed, stroking his hair before turning back to Damon.

"It means 'I'm sorry,'" He explained.

"That's all he's been saying all day," Elena stated, Stefan's mumblings seemed to grow louder and he became audible once more.

"Fanno a Finire!" He exclaimed desperately.

"It's OK, Stef," She tried, resuming her wiping of his forehead, no idea what he was saying.

"Make what stop, Stefan?" Damon asked, walking across the room to stand beside the bed.

"Voglio morire ... lasciatemi morire... fratello, lasciatemi morire!" He mumbled desperately, tears falling from his eyes.

"What's he saying?" Elena begged, looking from one brother to the other. "Damon, what is he saying?"

Damon didn't reply, his gaze was locked on his brother, his expression ashen.

"It's OK, brother," He replied, his voice low and strained. "Not much longer... It's nearly over now,"

He moved and slipped beside Stefan's bed side, "It's nearly over now," He promised, placing and hand on his shoulder briefly before turning from the room.

"Damon, what's he saying?" Elena called after him, "Damon? Damon!"

Despite her shouts, despite his screams, Damon didn't turn back.

Instead, he furiously wiped his eyes and made for the parlour to empty their liquor cabinet.

* * *

The sun was rising before anyone made any movement in the Salvatore boarding house. Jeremy descended the large wooden staircase just past seven, his hair tousled, clothes creased from where he'd fallen asleep in one of the guest rooms.

He walked right past the parlour; not noticing Damon sat in front of the smouldering fire, and into the kitchen to find Bonnie slumped over the kitchen island, a notebook to her side, a pen still in her grasp.

"Bon," He murmured, walking towards when she sat. "Bon," He gently rubbed her back and stroked a few strands of hair from her face.

"Mmm?" She replied, opening her eyes wearily and meeting his gaze.

"Hi," He smiled and she yawned.

"Hi... what time is it?" She asked.

"Just past seven," He answered, "What happened with Esther?"

Bonnie gave an ironic laugh, sitting up. "Nothing, she's gone,"

"Oh," Jeremy said, pulling a face. "I thought for a minute..." He trailed off. "How you doing, you look shattered?" He added, trying to change the subject.

"I'm fine," She replied, resting her head against her hand. "A good cup of coffee and I'll be raring to go,"

"One cup of Coffee coming up," He smiled, kissing her forehead. "I can't promise it'll be good, but it's Coffee all the same,"

"Thank you," She smiled, he turned to move but pulled a face.

"Do I really look that awful?" She asked, half joking, half deadly serious.

"No, stay still," He stated, reaching towards her hair. "You have a... spider in your hair," He muttered, pulling the eight-legged creature from her dark locks.

Bonnie paused, staring at the spider in between Jeremy's fingers, wriggling. "Oh my God," She uttered.

"Don't worry," He half laughed, flicking it off his finger to an unknown destination somewhere on the floor of the Salvatore kitchen. "All gone,"

"It worked," Was all she said before jumping to her feet, turning and fleeing the boarding house, grabbing her purse from the banister on the way out, once more leaving Jeremy alone in the kitchen.

"Something I said?" He murmured to himself before turning towards the coffee pot.

* * *

**A/N: So let me know what you think - reviews make me happy and I like being happy 3**

**Preston101 xx**


	9. Chapter 9

"_**MOMMY, HELP! MOMMY! MOMMY, THE MONSTERS ARE BACK! THEY'RE HERE, MOMMY! MOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?!" There was a blood-curdling scream and it came from a child dressed in Spaceman pajamas as he stood in the doorway of his bedroom with a petrified face and a teddy bear in his grasp. He was barely eight.**_

* * *

Stefan opened his eyes.

His gaze was blurry, he could barely make out the moving shapes above him, his skin felt as though it were on fire, his head felt like it were about to explode, searing agony erupted throughout his entire body, the guilt and the pain made him scream out and he continue to cry until he felt someone place a hand on his cheek, stroking it.

Something cool was pressed to his forehead, easing the burning.

A voice speaking calmly to him and although it sounded alien to him he felt less alone and closed his eyes allowing the darkness to overtake him once again.

* * *

"_**EMMA, RUN!"  
"YOU HEARD HIM, RIPPER, HE WANTS A CHASE GIVE HIM A CHASE... BUT BRING HER DOWN HERE! ... MAKE IT HURT!"  
"NO, PLEASE, LEAVE HER ALONE! DON'T HURT HER!"  
"Don't worry, mate, we won't hurt her... we'll annihilate her and make you watch!" His weeps and sobs echoed around the house but they were soon overtaken by her screams and wails.**_

_**It wasn't until later he found the baby in her flowered onsie as she stood in her crib, fingers grasping tightly to the bars. He made his way over to her and looked at her, her dark brown eyes, her innocent expression, he reached in and lifted her into his arms.  
"Mama?" She mumbled uncertainly, gazing up at him.  
"I'm sorry," He whispered, holding her close to him, trying to ignore the way blood pumped through her veins. "I'm so sorry," And he was. **_

"_**What have we here?" Came a voice and he turned to see Klaus stood in the doorway. "Ready for dessert already?" He asked.  
"Klaus, let's go," He urged as the baby wrapped an arm round his neck peering around the new addition to her bedroom in search of her parents, but he removed it and placed her back into her crib.  
"Let's not," He smiled, strolling towards the baby, Stefan turned and fled the house at Vampire Speed. He was down the garden when he heard the sickening crunch of her neck... then the laugh that haunted his every waking moment.**_

* * *

"Keep fighting, baby," He heard. "I'm right here,"

He felt lips, soft and gentle and only possible to belong to her press against his forehead, dripping with sweat, fingers thread gently through his soaked hair.

"I love you, Stefan." She stated, her voice full of conviction. "Hold onto that, never let that go," He felt something slip into his hand, something warm and small, it took him a few seconds to register the fact it was her own hand, but when he did he gripped it as hard as he could, yet with his waning energy and strength, his was barely a squeeze.

All too soon, the blackness once descended.

* * *

"_**Ripper, perhaps you'd like a drink... from the doppelganger's neck," He didn't process as Klaus walked away all he could see was her face. Hear her blood pumping through her body. He looked deeply into her eyes as they were filled with fear as she gazed at the man she was sure would always protect her, who kissed her pain away, who made her laugh until she cried, who hid her eyes at the scary parts of films, who cuddled and held her from the rest of the world, who fit into her so perfectly making her feel whole, who loved her like she had never been loved, who would never hurt her. She was sure. But now he was gone, that man was gone. She knew that when he sank his teeth into her neck, he knew it too and suddenly, for the first time that delicious blood felt like acid against his tongue. He wanted to gag and choke and let go, instead he drank and drank until her body went limp in his grasp. His feed only broken by the order of: "That's enough!" And the slow hand clapping of his Master. He wanted to die.**_

* * *

He hadn't screamed and cried and wept so much since he'd been brought home but people had stopped coming to check on them.

Caroline had been taken home by her Mother, Bonnie had vanished, Matt, Jeremy and Tyler were in school, Ric was teaching.

Damon was god knows where. It was just the two of them in their own world, this world of torture and torment, yet she was still grateful of it because it was theirs.

"Elena?" He whispered and his voice, regardless of how weak it was a how raw and strange it sounded coming from the lips of the man she loved, it was like music to her ears.

"What is it, honey?" She asked, sitting up slightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Make it end, Elena," He begged, silent tears running down his broken body. "Please, 'Lena, please, I don't want to see their faces anymore, I don't want to hear their screams, I don't want to hurt anyone else,"

"You have to fight it, Stefan," She insisted, placing a gently hand to his greying cheek but he shook his head slowly, barely strong enough to keep his eyes closing. "We're gonna find something to save you, you just have to keep fighting!"

"I'm so tired, 'Lena," He murmured, finally losing control of his lids as they slammed shut and his head lolled once more. "I just want to go to sleep... I just want to make it end," He whispered before he once more fell into a comatose like state that would last for hours where he'd have no idea who anyone was.

As she curled up against his chest, having given up her post at his bedside, finally quelling his thrashing, her tears fell at the same rate as his as she clung to his chest, listening to every weak beat his heart made and praying for the following.

Finally accepting the fact her angel, her knight in shining armour, her lover, her protector, her saviour, her Stefan was leaving and she wouldn't be going with him.

* * *

It was six o'clock when Elena finally descended the stairs after two days. Her hair was limp and tied in a high pony tail at the back of her head, her make-up had rubbed off, her eyes swollen from crying.

"So you've finally accepted it then?" Damon's voice asked from the leather arm chair by the long gone out fire. He hadn't moved for hours. She was too numb to even reply.

"He's dying," She responded, confirming his statement. "I can't do this without him," She added, stumbling through to the parlour and gripping onto the back of the sofa.

"Do what?" Damon asked in confusion. She looked at him, meeting the dark eyes so different from his brother's.

"Live," She stated, wondering how she could have ever thought to have borne feelings for anyone other than the dying Vampire a few floors above.

"Don't say that," Damon snapped sharply, hurrying to his feet, placing a hand on either side of her face. "Don't you dare say that," He insisted, stroking hair back from her face. "You have so much to live for!"

"What?" She asked, her eyes almost challenging him to give her a reason.

"Me," He whispered but she just looked at him, her eyes blank, dull, bloodshot from lack of sleep almost as dead and lifeless as Stefan's when he'd last seen him.

"You're not him," She stated, simply and his hands dropped.

"I love you, Elena, I will always love you!" He insisted desperately, but she shook her head and he turned from her, finally realising she made her final choice between the Salvatore brothers once and for all.

"He said he wanted to die, didn't he?" She asked, after a few moments. "Last night, when you left,"

"No," Damon replied, shaking his head. "He _begged me_ to let him die," He turned to the fireplace gazing blankly at the cinders and ash.

Had Elena not been so exhausted, had she not cried out all of the water in her body, had she not already been broken, her heart would have exploded, but it was too late, it already had done.

"Why didn't you listen to me, Elena?" He asked, his voice low. "You shouldn't have seen him like that,"

"Like what?" She responded. "A monster? A wreck? An evil creature in the body of my boyfriend? The exact opposite of Stefan? Damon I've seen it all,"

A silence lingered.

"Just give him some dignity, Elena." Damon murmured, still not facing her. "You know Stefan, he would not want to waste away like some animal, give him some goddamn dignity!"

He knew what she was about to do and he was ashamed to admit that part of him didn't care.

Part of him just wanted Elena all to himself, but the other part of him willed his legs to move, to protect the little boy he had failed to do so for their entire childhood, save the brother he had failed for 160 years.

But his own desire was too strong and that was the reason he did not move as her fingers wrapped around one of the wooden stakes on the dresser.

She then turned and moved silently towards the kitchen where she got a bottle of blood from the fridge for the man she was incandescently in love with.

The man she was about to stake through the heart.

* * *

**So what do you think?! Love it? Hate it? Want to hack my account and delete it? Let me know!**

**Love any type of feedback!**

**Love you all and will update soon!**

**Preston101 :D xxxxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: The usual jazz... I own nothing - sad face :((((**

* * *

For the first time in days, silence finally descended on the Salvatore Boarding House.

Damon cleared out the fire and started a new one going, going down to the cellar, past the cell where the Vervain Handcuffs still lay on the floor and into where they stored the alcohol, he searched for the Bourbon he'd placed down there in the late forties.

He'd been saving it for an occasion and here it was – the death of his little brother.

Minutes later he settled himself back into his arm chair and poured himself a fresh glass, straining his ears for any sound from above – but there was none.

He closed his eyes for a moment, letting his mind flash back to a time when everything had been easy. A time that was almost too long ago to remember.

* * *

"_You can't continue to baby them!" Giuseppe Salvatore barked at his wife as she reached into the linen cupboard for clean nightwear for her sons. _

"_I'm not doing Giuseppe, I'm just putting them to bed," She replied, coolly, folding the nightwear over her arm. _

"_Well you know there is no need, we have women to do that," He snapped, following her around the room as she closed the cupboard and made for the stairs._

"_So they aren't laudable to be a member of our society, but they're fine to raise our children? I don't think so Giuseppe, that might be how you were raised, but I wasn't and neither will my sons."_

_Turning on her heal, she began her ascension to the floor above where the nursery and her son's bedrooms were. _

_She paused for a moment in the doorway of the large playroom watching her sons. _

_Stefan, her baby boy who was no longer a baby and seemed to be growing before her eyes, the fact he was now four years old she still found hard to comprehend. He was sat in the middle of the room, Jimmy the bear at his side leading his army of tin soldiers into battle against the building blocks, his little face taught with concentration as he mumbled away to himself as he undoubtedly derived a circumstance of good overtaking evil, something that was no stretch of his wild imagination. _

_Damon, her scholar, he was slouched in the window seat his nose in a book, his dark eyes flashing from one side of the page to another. Examining the book from afar, she saw he was still reading the book she had bought for him earlier that week, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens. He was nearly at the end now and she made a mental note to go into town and buy him a few new ones, by the same author, he seemed to have enjoyed the ones by this Dickens very much. _

_Tearing herself from the view of the doorway, she realised neither of her sons had noticed her presence, silently she placed the nightclothes on the wooden table beside the door and crept up behind her youngest as she came close to him she could make out what he was saying. _

"_Bestest foot forward men... two more miles and we'll reach the church... Fwetcher you're a'sposed to stay in line..."_

_She suddenly grabbed him, sending his soldiers sprawling to the floor and tickling him to a point where he was hysterical with laughter, a sound that made her heart well. _

"_At ease, soldier?" She asked and he nodded, desperately. _

"_At ease, Mama," He agreed, and she stopped tickling and cuddled his closely. _

"_Hello, my angel," She greeted, standing up with him in her arms and kissing the side of his head as he held onto her. _

"_Hi," He smiled._

"_How was your day?" _

"_Good, I drewed a picture for you!"_

"_Well thank you very much, Mr. Salvatore, that's very kind of you," She smiled, in mock appreciation._

"_You're vewy welcome, Mrs. Mama," He replied, beaming at her. _

"_What is your big brother doing?" _

"_What he always does, silly! Wead!" _

"_He's weading is he?" She asked, smiling at his mispronunciation. "Shall we go and see what he's weading?"_

"_You know what I'm reading, you bought it for me!" Came the eleven year old's voice, his eyes never leaving the book. _

"_And if you play your cards right I might buy another for you," She replied, walking over to him. "Move up," She directed and he shifted into a sitting position allowing her to sit beside him with Stefan on her knee. _

"_Is it good?" Stefan piped up, gazing over his brother's shoulder at the page. "Dat says A!" He exclaimed pointing to the page at the only word he could recognise._

"_Well done, Archimedes," Damon replied, sarcastically. _

"_Who's dat?" He asked, confused. _

"_Damon be nice to your brother," She ordered, giving him the eyes._

"_Yes, Mama," He sighed. "Well done, Stefan, that says A,"_

"_Better," She smiled, wrapping an arm around him. "So, to reiterate your brother's question... Is it any good?"_

"_Very," He nodded, "It's the best one by him,"_

"_Not as hard, this time?" She asked but he shook his head._

"_No... it's harder than Oliver Twist... I'm just better," He replied, with a look of pride on his face._

"_You are better, you get better every day," She agreed, wrapping her other arm around him and kissing the side of his head. _

_Glancing down at the book in his grasp, she saw it. _

_Almost causing Stefan to fall to the floor, she ripped the book out of her son's grasp, tossing it to the floor, and grabbed his hand. _

_His palm was scarlet, small red welts standing out from the normally pale skin. _

"_Damon, what happened?!" She demanded, but he shook his head and pulled his hand back._

"_Nothing," He lied, crossing his arms underneath his armpits._

"_Damon!" She ordered, looking stern._

"_Mama, leave it alone," He begged._

"_No chance!" She stated._

"_Mister Wickman did it," Stefan cut in._

"_Tell tale, I hate you!" Damon shouted, causing Stefan to whimper, his lower lip starting to tremble. "You're such a cry baby!"_

"_Damon, enough!" She put in, before cuddling Stefan. "Don't listen to him, sweetheart, well done for being a big boy and telling me, go on into your bedroom and pick out a book, Mama will be in in a minute to get you ready, I just need to talk to your brother alone," She murmured, drying his wet eyes from tears that threatened to fall. _

_He gave a small nod before climbing from her lap and hurrying from the room before she turned to her eldest son, who had turned in his seat, his head pressed against the glass looking out into the grounds. _

_He watched as his father, marched across the lawn towards Rigby, the slave who kept the gardens and appeared to be shouting something at him. His dark eyes were set like rock as he knew exactly what was wrong with the scene before him._

"_Two things: One, never bully your brother, he needs you, you're the eldest Damon, it is your job to protect him, keep him safe, be his friend, he looks up to you and yes, now seven years is a big age gap and he seems little but soon, seven years will be nothing! Second, like a gentleman and a grown up please tell me why Mr. Rickman, caned you again,"_

"_I fell over in drill," Damon explained, not taking his eyes off of his father. "He had us bending over and touching the ground without bending our knees fifty times but I got dizzy and fell over and he send he'd 'cure my dizziness,'... I hate him... I hate them all."_

_Seeing he was watching something, she turned her own gaze and saw what he was looking at and had an inkling he may not be talking only about his teacher but others too. Sighing, she wrapped an arm around him again, pulling him against her body. "Not much longer, my darling," She swore. "Play their game, Damon, play it and win. Be the man I know you are and you'll get everything you ever dreamed of... you'll become a writer and you'll travel and you'll leave this pitiful little town and these pitiful little men and their pitiful little ways in your dust,"_

"_It's not right," He stated as he watched his father lash out at the black man below him._

"_I know, sweetheart," She agreed, "But it won't be like this forever... come away, darling, I don't want you watching that,"_

_She gently led him away, stooping to pick up the dropped book from the floor, placing it in his grasp._

"_Promise you'll never leave me?" He asked, suddenly. "I couldn't do this without you!"_

"_Where's this coming from?" She asked, hugging him._

"_Just promise me!" He insisted._

"_Dam..." She began._

"_Promise me!" He begged._

"_I promise, I will never, ever leave you!" She swore, holding him tightly._

* * *

Damon suddenly shook himself of that memory, mentally chastising himself.

Taking another mouthful of his drink, he recalled the irony of her words.

She'd died the following day.

It was Stefan's fault. He'd ripped that godforsaken bear so she'd taken it to the local seamstress in town.

They men had found it in the carriage after her body had been salvaged from the road after the attack that had killed her.

She'd gone to the bookstore as well, bought him the first installation of Bleak House.

He never read it.

* * *

Elena softly wiped his face free of the sweat that had been seeping from it all day and dried it gently with a flannel.

She then slipped the pale blue t-shirt off of his body and tossed the wet garment to the side, before slipping a fresh one over his head and over his torso, slotting his arms through the holes.

Finally she slipped onto the mattress on the other side of the bed, the side that had always belonged to him when she'd slept over, she cranked the fan that had been blaring all day onto a lower setting as he seemed a lot cooler than he had done before and pulled his practically weightless body between her legs before finally settling him against her chest.

She stroked his hair and kissed his forehead, tears running silently down her face as she played their relationship through in her mind, the future they could have had, they should have had together, and she felt the need to tell him about the life she had always imagined but had never told him about because she knew they could never have had that family.

"I always wanted a little boy," She stated, toying gently with his ear and brushing her nose against it.

"I always wanted a little boy and then a little girl... I pictured the house my family would live in.

It would be one of those huge ones in the suburbs with a huge kitchen and a pool in the back yard and the kids would ride their bikes on the lawn, just a typical house, white picket fence and all," He didn't respond.

"I always wanted to be a Mom, y'know? Have kids and have a life... and when I first met you, before I knew you were a Vampire, I wanted that with you, I wanted that life with you, Stefan Salvatore." She stated, tears dripping off the end of her nose.

"Because I have loved you more than anyone in the world from the second I have laid eyes on you. I lay in bed every night and pictured a little boy with your eyes and hair and a little girl with your nose and all three of us having the surname Salvatore. But when I found out you were a Vampire I panicked and this world I had planned suddenly exploded... but in the moment I saw you save Bonnie, I didn't care about any of it. I just wanted you, I've always wanted you," She whispered.

"You'd make an amazing mom," Stefan suddenly choked, his voice dry.

"Hey," She murmured, kissing the top of his head. "How you feeling?" She asked, taking hold of one of his hands with her own.

He shook his head weakly. He looked like death. "It's like being burnt from the inside," He whispered.

"I know, honey, I know," She replied, gently leaning down to place a soft kiss onto his dry, cracked lips. She leant over to the bedside table to reach for the bottle of blood and undid the cap bringing it to his mouth.

"No," He murmured, moving his head away and burying it against her chest, relaxing into its warmth. "I don't... I don't want any," He added.

"Please," She begged, in a vain attempt to try a get him to regain some of his strength. "For me,"

He looked at her with his greying eyes, his expression full of desperation. "Please... don't make me," He whispered, tears forming in his eyes. "It makes the voices worse,"

Her heart broke into yet another shard for him.

"Drink something then," She replied, putting the bottle down and picking the other which stood next to it containing water. She turned his head slightly and brought it to his lips. "It's only water," She urged and he slowly began to drink.

Elena thought he had found some solace for half an hour.

These brief spells of calm were becoming fewer and fewer and had larger gaps between each one. All too soon, he began to groan once again, shaking his head, whimpering, tears beginning to fill his greying eyes.

"It really hurts, Elena," Stefan's voice was barely a whisper but it couldn't have sounded louder if he'd screamed it in her face.

"Shh," She murmured softly, gently stroking his hair, tears leaking down her face. "Just close your eyes and go to sleep and the pain'll go away, I promise," She tucked the blanket around him, grateful he was no longer wet with sweat but now comfortable.

She held him for way over an hour, but to her it felt like days, stroking his hair, toying gently with his ear, rubbing his back and just basking in his presence, for what she knew was the last time. She didn't know how long it had taken him to fall asleep, but every once in a while he'd get another jolt of pain, tears leaking down his face, the guilt once more setting in, only soothed by her whispering to him and gently placing kisses on his forehead.

When he'd eventually settle again, he'd mutter "I'm sorry, I love you," and those five words killed her more than any stake through the heart.

She waited until he was sleeping soundly, the shallow rise and fall of his chest enlightening her to this fact.

She placed a soft kiss to the side of his head, whilst reaching underneath the pillow and withdrawing the stake she had hidden there.

"I love you so much," She murmured over and over again, tears rolling down her face.

She pulled down the brown duvet, exposing Stefan's white t-shirt clad chest. "And I will never stop," through her blur of tears, she closed her eyes and positioned the weapon that she would murder her lover with.

* * *

"I can save him!" Bonnie exclaimed, flying through the front door of the Salvatore boarding house, grimoire to her chest, Caroline following behind with a bag full of what she needed for the spell.

Damon was stood with a glass of Whiskey in his hand staring into the fire and didn't react at Bonnie's news.

"Damon, did you not hear me? I said I can save him," Bonnie repeated, ecstatically, an excited smile plastered to her face.

However, when Damon didn't turn round, her breath began to falter slightly as she realised there was something she and Caroline didn't know.

"Damon what's wrong?" Caroline asked, lowering the bag to the floor.

He looked up and stated. "You're too late,"

Caroline and Bonnie exchanged a confused and worried glance.

"The spell worked?" Bonnie asked, looking petrified, but Damon shook his head.

"Then what do you mean, 'Too Late?'" Caroline demanded, staring at him defiantly.

"She took a stake, she thought I didn't notice,"

"She took a stake and she thought you didn't notice?" She mimicked, trying to process the words. "You mean you didn't stop her?" Caroline stepped forward towards the elder Salvatore whilst Bonnie just stood there trying to function after his revelation.

"It's for the best," He replied, downing his drink before sitting down on one of the leather arm chairs.

"It's for the best?" Caroline repeated, unable to believe what she was hearing.

It was at that second that the words Damon was speaking finally sank in on Bonnie: It was over: Stefan was dead; Elena had killed him.

* * *

**So what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Want to hack it to death with a machetti? Let me know!**

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**Preston101 xxxxxxxxxx**


	11. Chapter 11

Without a word, Bonnie turned and fled up the wooden staircase and along the corridor, Caroline at her heels. She didn't pause until she reached Stefan's bedroom door, she tried the handle but it was locked.

"Hurry!" Caroline urged.

She glared at it and her eyes flashed as the lock broke away and she and Caroline practically fell into the room.

Elena was still cradling Stefan like she had been for the past few hours, her face buried into his hair, tears still streaming, she honestly didn't know where her body was finding it all, she raised her head to look at her best friends.

The three women were silent for a few minutes, tears now running down Caroline and Bonnie's faces as well as Elena's. The stake was still in Elena's grasp.

"I couldn't do it" she stated simply and surely enough as she spoke, he opened his eyes slowly, there was an audible gasp from both of them as his frailty became more apparent.

They weren't sure if he could actually see them or if he was just staring blankly in their direction, but within seconds, his lids had drooped once more and he'd sought the safety of Elena.

There was silence for a moment before Bonnie spoke.

"It's gonna be OK, Elena," She promised, "I think I can save him,"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I know you all probably hate me for leaving it like that for the past three weeks but I'm sorry :P.**

**Also, we officially hate the writers, sorry, six episodes? No. I don't think so, after a year's wait that is unacceptable. But fear not Stelenanators, we shall conquer as we always do because they love each other and will hold onto that and never let that go :')**

**This is the second of a possible three chapters uploaded tonight depending on the feedback... soooo behold. Stelena. What's gonna happen? :O**

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"How sure are you about this?" Elena asked as she, Caroline and Bonnie sat in a circle at the foot of Stefan's bed, the only illumination in the room from the dozen candles that had been lit.

'_Well it worked on three dead spiders and a bee I swatted,' _Bonnie thought but forced a smile. "Pretty sure," She nodded, her statement not doing anything to the fearful hopefulness in Elena's expression.

"What do we do?" Caroline asked, diverting Bonnie's gaze from Elena to her.

"Think," She instructed.

"What about?" Elena questioned, looking confused, Bonnie looked towards Stefan's sleeping figure in the bed before back at them both.

"Him," She stated, before turning back to face the candle before closing her eyes and beginning to murmur in Latin.

Caroline and Elena both closed their eyes.

* * *

_**She wanted to die, she wished she had never touched that godforsaken blood bag. Look where it had got her, a murderer. A cold blooded murderer who had loved every second of draining the blood from an innocent bystander as her best friends watched. **_

_**She couldn't understand why he was being kind to her, why he was wiping the blood from her mouth and chin, why he was trying to calm her down, why he bothering with her at all, he was a vampire too but he didn't go into masochistic rages and kill the first person in sight, she was a monster plain and simple. **_

_**She took one look in the mirror and saw the veins beneath her eyes grow her teeth stretching into fangs. Crying out in anguish, she turned from the mirror, clawing at her new features with her nails as she tried to do anything to them. "Why does this keep happening to my face?!" She demanded, tears falling down her cheeks. **_

"_**Look at me! Look at me! Caroline, look at me!" He insisted, gripping her shoulders. "Look at me! Look at my face!" He continued and when she did, through her tears she could make out that he had identical veins and fangs. "See that?" He asked, calmer this time and she nodded silently as he cupped her face between his hands. "When you feel the blood rush in, you tell yourself – 'you're gonna get through this, that you're strong enough'" She shook her head, zoning out for a second because it was impossible but he raised his voice yet another octave. **_

"_**No matter how good it feels to give over to it!" He insisted strongly. "You fight it off – you bury it!" She felt herself to begin to relax slightly at his words, feeling safer than she had done since her transition. "Try with me, try," He instructed, breathing deeply and through gasping sobs she did do, breathing in and out, telling herself it was alright. Slowly, she felt much calmer, the craving began to diminish and she felt her veins and fangs begin to diminish. Looking up at him was painful and when she buried her head in his chest and he wrapped his arms around her she finally faced the prospect that it was going to be OK, she was going to survive this. Even though, she was still faced with the overwhelming guilt but for that moment she was more grateful to Stefan than she ever had been to anyone in her entire life.**_

* * *

Think of him. For the past two years she had done nothing else but that.

But right now, when it mattered, Elena couldn't focus on a particular aspect of Stefan, a particular memory, a particular feeling; it all just came flooding in.

* * *

_**She was pissed. No scrap that, she wasn't pissed she was seething. In truth, she was struggling, she could barely get out of bed most mornings, the grief and pain of the fact they were gone was too much. He was all she had left and it was killing her to see him throw his life away day after day. She was glad he walked out when he did, because if he hadn't she would have fallen down on the floor of the boys' toilets in hysterics over the whole situation. She steadied herself, catching her own eyes in the mirror. **__"Keep it together, Elena, you're doing OK," __**She lied to herself, before turning on her heel and making her exit. Everything was a blur, this could not be her life. Coming back to school was like another slap in the face. Everything was so normal. People were so normal and she felt she were about crumble beneath it all. Suddenly, her chest made contact with something hard, bringing her back to reality. Glancing up, her gaze locked on the most incredible eyes she ever seen. She was speechless, her heart thumping painfully in her throat, as they retained eye contact, she could not breathe, she could not speak, for a few moments, she forgot about the pain, the heartbreak, the whispers, the stares and the sympathetic expression. It was Back Guy but Bonnie was wrong, he was not all back. He was very much face.**_

_**S&E**_

"_**This is reality," His speech hit her heart, making her want to cry. Second by second, she was falling for this guy more and more. They were moving closer and closer towards each other. Her heart was in her mouth, her breath coming out in pants. When their lips made contact in the most incredible kiss of her life, her brain was in a pile of smush on the floor.  
**_

_****__**S&E**_

_**Tear after tear hit her pillow. It was too good to be true. He was too good to be true. She couldn't be around him, she had Jeremy and Jenna to think of, she had school that she had to focus on, she had a fifteen year old to stop from falling off the rails, she had too much shit going on in her life to have a... vampire in her life. A vampire. It was still surreal, he was a vampire, a vampire, she was in love with a vampire.**_

_****__**S&E**_

_**He couldn't leave. It wasn't fair. She had lost too man**__**y people, she would not lose him too.**_

_****__**S&E**_

_**His eyes bored into hers as he searched her face for some sign of fear, but there was none. Slowly, he reached behind her to the clasp of rose lacy bra and undid before gently slipping it down her arms and tossing it to the floor, leaving her in only the matching panties. He was mesmerised by her.  
"You are so beautiful," he murmured, hovering over her for a moment before placing a gentle kiss on her collar bone. Every nerve seemed to be on fire as his mouth moved lower and lower before his lips closed around her nipple sucking it into his mouth softly. She let out a low moan, which seemed to spur him on, increasing his suction as he began to gently nip it with his teeth, before turning to the other and repeating his actions. In a short time, her panties had joined the rest of their clothes on the floor and his head was progressively making its way towards where she wanted him, where she needed him.**_

_****__**S&E**_

_**The moonlight leaked into his bedroom through the balcony doors as she lay awake in his arms. Gazing up into his sleeping face, she still found it hard to comprehend **_**he**_** was the reason she was alive. He'd saved her life. She didn't remember much of that night, it was a haze. All she remember was water... her Dad screaming her name... then silence... then darkness... then the pain. Even now, whenever she made too sharp a movement, a pang of pain ran down her spine and every time it did so, she was grateful for it, because that was the price she paid for life. Because of him. Without him, she'd have died and Jeremy would be alone and for that she will love him eternally. Leaning up slightly, she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and his head twitched slightly, his grasp around her tightening, never wanting to let go.**_

_**She watched with tears in her eyes as he sat on her bed. A wreck. She'd done this to him, it was her fault, she had fed him her blood and now had to watch the position he was in and it was killing her.  
"I don't want you knowing this side of me exists!" He stated, with heartbreaking conviction in his voice.  
"Stefan, you're gonna get through this!" She assured him, desperately. "I'm gonna help you pull through, you're OK, you're gonna be OK!" She stooped and tried to take hold of his face in her palms, trying in vain to calm him down. But he pushed her away, almost jumping off of the bed and hurrying to the other side of the room.**_

"_**I'm sorry," He murmured, looking in genuine physical pain. "I... I can't... I'm afraid of what I might do to you," He crossed his arms across his chest tightly as he spoke, looking so vulnerable and alone, his expression threatening to crumble any moment. **_

_**A feeling of repulsion grew inside the pit of her stomach as she realised the reason he wouldn't come near her. He would never hurt her, she knew that. "I'm not," She responded, firmly before closing the gap between them. He looked as though he wanted to cry but he didn't and she gently took his face in her hands again, only this time, he didn't pull away. "Stefan, I'm not," She repeated. "OK? I'm not," His breathing was disjointed and frightened as they locked eye contact, she closed the only remaining gap between their lips, placing hers upon his for a gentle, yet passionate kiss. "I'm not," She breathed against his mouth. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck holding him closely as his tears finally began to roll from his eyes and he wrapped his own arms around her too. They just held each other for a moment as though they were the only things keeping them upright, and they were.  
"I love you so much!" He stated with so much force that it instantly brought tears rolling down her face.  
"I love you too," She responded, and she did, more than he would ever know.**_

_****__**S&E**_

_**This wasn't supposed to happen.  
He was supposed to have been getting better, but instead she was having to watch the man she loved in so much pain it made her want to scream. "All you did was expose me to who I really am!" He stated as he paced.  
"This isn't you!" She insisted, desperately.  
"STOP SAYING THAT!" He shouted, sending the books and papers that were on the table at the end of his bed flying, causing her to flinch for a moment, she began to make her way towards him but he moved away, he was different this time.  
"Don't come any closer to me," He ordered,  
"I'm not gonna let this happen to you," She responded, continuing towards him at a slower pace.  
"Stop!"  
"Stefan, I'm not gonna give up on you! I believe in you!" She stated, desperately, trying to get him to understand. **_

"_**STOP!" He roared, suddenly, grabbing her by the arms and slamming her against his armoire, hurting her back in the process, but she didn't have time to react. Before he was pressed up against her smashing his hand against the wooden panel, almost breaking it and for a second she thought he was going to hit her. As soon as his rage had begun it was over, his breathing deep, his eyes filled with almost as much shock at his actions as hers were. They were silent for a few moments as he just gazed in shock, looking as though he wanted to die at what he had just done.  
"I'm so sorry," He breathed, desperately.  
"It's OK," She replied shakily as he slowly moved his head towards her shoulder, resting it on it. "It's OK," She repeated, for a moment she thought she'd got through it, for a moment, she almost dropped it to the floor and wrapped her arms around him but she didn't. Instead, she let the Vervain filled stake drop from her sleeve into her awaiting grasp.  
"I don't know what's happening to me," He croaked, she could feel his tears beginning to permeate the cotton of her top as she moved her left hand to his neck, stroking it softly, trying to comfort him.  
"It's OK," She assured him. "Shh, shh, it's OK," She poised it. "You're gonna be OK," Closing her eyes tightly to stop her own tears from falling, she slammed the injection into his back. It took a few moments before he responded, bracing his hand against the panel before collapsing to the floor, taking her heart with him.**_

_****__**S&E**_

_**He found her in his claw foot tub ten minutes later. Her hair tied in a bun on the top of her head, not wanting to get it wet after she washed it this morning, the first proper shower she'd had in days.  
"Hey," She murmured, locking eyes with him as he walked in, noting the way his gaze never left her face despite the fact she was visibly naked beneath the heightening water. "It's little boy lost," She joked, mimicking Damon's previous words.  
"Hi," he replied, stooping down beside the bath as she leant against the side.**_

_**"How you doing?" She asked.  
"I'm OK," He responded, forcing a weary smile.  
"Don't lie to me, Stefan Salvatore," She mock scolded, taking hold of his chin gently before leaning up and kissing him gently, their lips fusing together at the first touch. She broke apart for a moment.  
"Get in, now," She ordered, but saw the flash of hesitance in his face. She knew exactly what he was thinking and when he opened his mouth to object, she placed her finger over his lips to silence him. "I trust you," She murmured, "You're OK," she stroked the side of his head gently before moving to the side. "You. In. Now." **_

_**He didn't have to be told three times and shed his t-shirt and hoodie in one movement and his pants, boxers and socks in the other, his boots having been left on his bedroom floor, and climbed into the hot water as she moved to allow him in. He settled back against the white porcelain before she moved back towards him, straddling his waist before wrapping her arms around his neck and locking lips with him, her breasts causing the incredible friction that she had missed. **_

_**Her tongue found its way into his mouth and he readily accepted it, sucking on it gently before releasing it and opting to battle her for dominance with him own. As she sat in his lap, she felt the evidence that he was greatly enjoying their activities. It had only been a week since they'd last been together, but with Stefan, an hour was too much. Without breaking their kiss for a moment, she began to move her hips against his rubbing the nerves between her legs against his growing erection. They simultaneously let out throaty moans at the result of her antics. He pulled away from her mouth, catching her face in his palms.  
"You have to stop that right now or this will be over before it's started," He stated, but she didn't stop, instead she did that thing where she bit her lip and gazed into his eyes as she continued whatever she was doing. This time was no exception. **_

_**He suddenly flipped them both over, so he was on top and before she knew what was happening, his head was submerged in the water, holding her legs apart with his arms, his tongue gently brushing against her clit, tickling he there. It took her a moment to process what was going on before the overwhelming feeling of her boyfriend's tongue elicited a loud moan from her. He knew exactly what he was doing, how to get her riled, he continued his slow torture, causing her to twitch and squirm beneath him begging for more, his head still beneath the water, he could sense exactly what he was doing to her and after a few more tentative licks and loud desperate moans from his lover, he closed his mouth around her, sucking and licking in exactly the right places before her nipped down on the swollen nub gently causing her to cry his name. **_

_**"Stef..." She panted, gripping hold of his hair in her grasp, holding him right there, right where she needed him. His hands moved away from her legs and she felt him use them to part her lips, adding what always tipped her over the edge as he slipped first one finger and then two into her tightness, reaching around for a moment before finding that spot that drove her insane, all the while continuing his ministrations. Within seconds, the tightening band inside her stomach snapped and she came, screaming his name over and over again, twitching and spasaming beneath him as he slowed slightly, knowing how to make her last. He re-emerged himself the second she began to come down, thoroughly exhausted, eyes closed, head resting against the cool tiles as she panted, trying to catch her breath. **_

_**He wiped his eyes before placing a gentle kiss on the side of her mouth, nuzzling her gently.  
"Evil, evil boy," She breathed after a moment. "Evil, ridiculously talented, incredible, evil boy,"  
He laughed that incredible laugh that even in her exhausted state made her want to jump for joy.  
"You OK?" He smiled as she slowly opened her eyes. She nodded in reply.  
"See there are good points about being a vampire," She joked, leaning in to kiss him, tasting a more watered down version of herself on his lips than usual.  
"No need for oxygen is indeed a perk in this instant," He winked and she smiled, holding him close for a moment, before gently easing her legs apart and encouraging him between them.**_

_**For the second time since they'd entered the bathroom, a look of hesitation crossed his face.  
"Hey, it's OK," She murmured, stroking his wet hair. "I trust you, you've just done that to me and you're more than fine, OK?" He seemed convinced. Slowly, he positioned himself at her opening, leaning forward and kissing him. "I'll go gentle," He murmured. She didn't even waste her breath telling him not to bother. They groaned instantaneously as he sank into her, fitting into her perfectly as she stretched to accommodate his huge length. They both continued to moan from the incredible feelings as he began to move and, true to his word, he started off slow, moving gently, softly stroking her insides as she tightened her walls against him, making the tightness for him almost unbearable. He knew this wasn't going to last long, a few minutes max, but was determined to pro-long it for as long as possible. **_

"_**Faster," She moaned desperately, wrapping her arms around his neck as he brace himself against the walls of the tub, the water sloshing out with every movement, but neither of them caring. He began to move faster increasing the friction, increasing the pleasure. Suddenly, Elena's second orgasm ripped through her, causing her to scream once again, her eyes snapping closed, her head flying back against the tub, only cushioned, by Stefan's hand as he quickly placed it behind her head. Without pausing, he moved their positions so they were sat up, taking hold of her waist and making her meet his pistoning member thrust for thrust. The pleasure for them both was almost too much to bear and as experienced her third orgasm begin for her second had even left her, he himself saw stars and exploded inside her shouting out her name over and over again as he did so.**_

_**A few moments passed as their orgasms left them, the only sound filling the room being their heavy breathing. "I love you so much," She murmured against his neck, neither of them able to move at that moment.  
"Right back at you," He responded, the only movement he was able to make being the gentle stroking of her back.  
"Never even think about leaving me again," She ordered and he just nodded.  
"Never,"**_

* * *

Suddenly there was a loud bang as Stefan's balcony doors flew open, causing the candles to be extinguished and a strong gust of wind the hit the three women.

"What just happened?" Caroline asked, quietly. "Did it work?"

* * *

**Dun! Dun! Dun! What's gonna happen?**

**C'mon, guys, only one way to find out - you know what to do!**

**Love it? Hate it? Want kidnap it and force it to write the way I want it to write like I want to do to Julie Plec and Kevin Williams right now?! ****Let me know!**

**Love you, Preston101 :D xxxxx**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I felt mean not uploading after it ended like that. **

**Before you read this, just remember I love you all, OK? **

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Suddenly there was a loud bang as Stefan's balcony doors flew open, causing the candles to be extinguished and a strong gust of wind the hit the three women.

"What just happened?" Caroline asked, quietly. "Did it work?" Bonnie looked at both of and murmured 'I don't know,'

Elena blinked, coming back to life.

It had seemed so vivid.

She struggled to her feet and hurried over to Stefan, her heart was in her mouth, pounding heavily as she let herself hope for one last time.

She reached out a shaky hand to touch the side of his face.

_Please, please, please _She chanted as a silent mantra.

But he was still covered in the same cold film of sweat.

"Stefan?" She murmured, he didn't open his eyes, doesn't respond, he only offered her the same shudder that he'd been experiences for the past few hours and out another excruciating howl. He did not stir, the spell hasn't worked.

Bonnie and Caroline closed their eyes in simultaneous disappointment and heartbreak.

"Elena, we can try again," Bonnie murmured, breaking the silence a few moments later. But Elena shook her head.

"No," She replied her voice barely audible. "It's..." She trailed off, she looked up a moment later. "It's too late, he wouldn't..."

No matter how much effort she put into her speech, she could not finish a sentence because by the time she got half way through she realised that it was futile.

Elena Gilbert was a lot of things; she was kind, strong, brave, loyal... one thing she wasn't is stupid.

She took one look at the man she loved. His skin was as grey as ash, eyes that were as blank as paper, sweat that was as cold as ice, voice that was broken and weary... he had hours.

"We'll be OK," She finally murmured, not looking at her best friends whose eyes were shining with unshed tears.

It's wasn't a lie because it's true, they're always fine as long as they're together, for how long they'll be fine though, she had no idea.

Bonnie and Caroline exchanged glances, before they both stood up and walked over to Elena before hugging her tightly.

"It's gonna be OK, Elena," Bonnie lied and Caroline nodded in affirmation, tears falling from her eyes, but she wiped them away with her cuff.

"We love you, sweetie," She murmured and Elena smiled softly.

Caroline then turned to Stefan.

She knelt beside the bed and grasped his hand, kissing it gently.

"Thank you," She whispered. "I couldn't have done it without you..." She paused, "You're gonna be OK, buddy, I love you," With that, she stood up, her eyes shining.

Bonnie opened her mouth to say something but words failed her.

"I'm sorry," She stated, tears beginning to fall. "We'll look after her," She promised, gripping his hand tightly before gently placing it back onto the duvet and taking hold of Caroline's hand.

"We'll be right downstairs," She murmured and Elena nodded, trying desperately to hold her own tears back.

When the door shut softly behind them both, she let out a deep breath as Stefan groaned deeply.

She felt the throb in her eyes from the unshed tears as she lay down on the bed besides him.

Had she not known it was Stefan, had she not watched and been right beside him as he had transformed from the muscular beauty that she loved with everything she had to a grey, shaking, haunted version of Stefan Salvatore she would not have known who he was.

As the mattress dipped against her weight, he twitched.

_Please!_ Elena thought, desperately. _Please, please, please!_

"Stefan?" She murmured, her heartbeat pounding through veins as she prayed for a final few moments with him being responsive.

"Elena?" He responded, his voice barely audible, cracking with the single word he had spoken in hours.

"I'm right here," She whispered, reaching a hand round to stroke his cheek gently.

"P...prom...ise me s...some...thing," He stammered and she wasn't sure if he was to weak or in too much pain to form sentences, the back of her head believed it was the latter when he gave a slight wince.

"Anything," She replied, immediately.

"D...don't remember me l...like this, rem... remember th...the good times," He begged, his dull eyes boring into hers.

But Elena shook her head.

"That's the one thing I can't do," She stated. "Because, I'm going to remember it all Stefan, I'm... I'm going to remember what it felt like to hold your hand and how soft your lips were and how safe I used to feel when I'd have a bad dream and wake up and just roll into your arms and I'll remember how incredible and amazing you felt inside of me and how brave you were and how hard you fought and how... how much I damn well LOVED you! OK, I won't forget, one second we ever spent together,"

By the time she had finished, tears were rolling down her face and a few dripped off of her cheeks before she had chance to wipe them away and dropped onto Stefan's face.

Those were the ones she wiped first.

"I'm so sorry," He whispered, but Elena shook her head defiantly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for!" She insisted but he just gave her a weary look.

"I do, too much, I... I wasted... too much time,"

"But you came back, OK? You came home, you came home to me," She said, almost in a begging tone trying to make him see.

"I... love... you," He strained, not losing eye contact with her for a second.

"I love you and I will love you forever, OK, I will love you until the end of the world and longer," She stated before leaning down to gently place a kiss on his lips, he was too weak to respond.

As she pulled away, his eyes had closed.

"Stef?" She asked, stroking his cheek, but he was unresponsive. "Stefan?" She repeated, shaking him when he didn't reply. "Stefan? Stefan!"

But it was too late, he was gone.

* * *

**Remember I love you :***

**Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? Want to burn me alive? I can probably guess the answer though :P**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: You all probably kinda hate me right now... sorry about that :/**

**I felt on a roll with the uploads so here's the next chapter.**

**Usual jargon, unfortunately, I own nothing... If I did, well, let's say a certain dark haired interfering brother would be taking a surprise gap century to the Bahamas. JS.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Stefan?" Elena murmured her voice barely above a whisper. There was no response. "Stefan!" She moved a shaky hand up toward his mouth and nose. What little air he had been breathing was gone.

"No..." She begged, "Please... Stefan wake up!"

He just lay there, his eyes closed, face expressionless, blank, his sallow skin a sharp contrast to the white sheets... this was no longer Stefan, this was just a corpse.

He had lasted three days.

The three worst days of Elena's life as she'd had to watch her lover die, held him as he'd died, but had had the honour of knowing he loved her with his last dying breath.

Slowly, what was left of Elena's heart shattered, the first crippling tears of her grief began to fall from her eyes as it dawned on her: This was it, no cure, no fairy tale happy ending, he was dead and she was alone.

Elena bent her head and placed a gentle kiss on his still warm lips.

If she closed her eyes she could pretend that everything was normal, that she was waking her slumbering boyfriend with a 'Good Morning kiss' and she'd open her eyes to see him squinting wearily at her, a smile playing at his mouth.

But she couldn't, it was time to stop pretending.

Sliding out from underneath him, she settled his body against the mattress, she didn't register how light he was, how much weight he'd lost before his death, how little impression the weight of his body made upon the bed.

Elena curled up against his side, nestling in beside his still warm body.

She rested her forehead against his. "I will never, ever stop loving you," She swore, tears, making it impossible to see.

She felt so... alone and frightened and lonely, lonelier than she had ever felt in her life because he was just... gone.

It had been bad when he had disappeared last summer, but at least she could believe he was safe, it had been awful when he had turned off his humanity, but at least she could see he was alive, now... he was never coming back.

It was there that every emotion she had been keeping pent up for the last two years exploded: The grief for her parents, Jenna and John that she hadn't been able to show because she had to look after Jeremy, the revelation her parents weren't actually her parents and her entire life had been a lie, Katherine, the Salvatore brothers in general and then this.

Clinging onto Stefan for dear life, Elena finally began to weep for them all.

* * *

Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy, Damon, Tyler, Matt and Alaric were down in the parlour, it was Caroline who heard it first – Elena's anguished cries, worse than anything she'd ever heard.

Hers and Damon's eyes at the same moment as he heard it milliseconds later, she nodded at his unspoken statement... it was time.

"What? What's happened?" Bonnie asked, urgently, noting the eye contact between the two and looking from one to the other.

Caroline merely looked at her, tears in her eyes, her expression revealing what she was about to say before she said it. "He's gone,"

The power of her statement hit them all like a brick.

Bonnie closed her eyes in defeat and rested her head in her hands, "We have to get her out of here," She murmured after a moment. "Jer, Care, c'mon," She stood, so did Caroline, as did Jeremy.

She turned and made for the staircase, her legs threatening to give way but she felt Jeremy's chest against her back and his mere presence held her up.

"Come on," He whispered, taking hold of her hand and together they began to ascend the stairs with Caroline following, the rest of the group understanding the unspoken statement of 'No one else,' something Damon seemed to have missed and he stood up to follow them.

"I'll take her into my room," he announced, his voice carrying that edge of authority. "It'll be quiet in there... if anyone can calm her down it's me,"

Caroline turned to say something, but Jeremy beat her to it.

"No you won't, you'll stay down here, then you'll sort out what to do with Stefan, when _we take her home!"_ He replied, his eyes locking angrily with Damon's.

"She needs to be with the people she cares about right now, she's grieving!" He insisted, placing a foot on the bottom step.

"Exactly," Jeremy shot back, "That's why she needs her brother and her best friends,"

"She'll want me!" Damon spat, a look of pure fury in his eyes.

Jeremy merely gave a wry laugh. "She really won't, she wants people who won't try and make a pass at her! Anyway, what do you know about Elena grieving?!"

Damon opened his mouth to reply but couldn't find the answer. "She needs me!"

"No, she needs Stefan," He replied, "She is_ this far _from being pushed over the edge and we need to get her out of this house before she falls all the way and I swear to God if you take one foot into that room I will stab a stake through your heart myself,"

At vampire speed Damon moved to stand directly in front of Jeremy, but he didn't so much as blink let alone be flinch as he had been hoping for.

"Back. Off." He ordered as Damon just made angry eye contact.

"Or what?" He demanded, taking another step towards Jeremy.

"ENOUGH!" Came a sudden exclamation and everyone turned, shock from the outburst which came from Alaric. "Yes, you all think you know what's best for Elena, but I'll tell you what isn't any good for her... Her being upstairs, alone, with her boyfriend's dead body whilst you're all down here arguing like children! Now, Damon you're outnumbered, sit down and shut up, Jeremy, Caroline, Bonnie, get upstairs and get her home! NOW!"

Caroline and Bonnie took this as their cue to stop watching the scene before them and to hurry up to Elena, Jeremy following seconds later.

Damon glared at everyone and made to put his foot on another step, but dropped it after contemplating running as fast as he could all the way to the top of the stairs and bursting into Stefan's room before any of them could stop him, instead, he barged past them all and went through to the kitchen.

It took fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes for them to prize Elena away from Stefan's body, her body racking with hysterical, inconsolable sobbing.

Eventually, she began to calm down slightly to a point where Jeremy lifted her up in his arms and carried her from the room, down the stairs, and out the door, Bonnie following at their heels.

"_Don't make me leave him! Please don't make me leave him! I don't want to leave him!" _Elena's pleas still rang in hers and Caroline's ears.

Tears rolled down Bonnie's face, she'd failed, Grams had been wrong, she couldn't do it. She'd let them all down and now, she had to deal with the consequences.

Caroline stopped on the bottom step, she locked eyes with Alaric whose face was grave.

"Go with them, Elena needs you, go home," She stated,

"What about you?" He asked, but she shook her head wiping her eyes.

"I'm gonna stay here," She replied, brushing her hair from her face, her unshed tears creating a terrible burning, but this was the moment she had to stay strong.

It was now that he needed her more than ever.

"Are you sure?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yes, now go," He didn't have to be told another time.

As the front door closed, she turned, taking a deep breath as she steadied herself against the banister.

"C'mon then," She murmured, taking the hardest step of her life onto the bottom stair before she climbed towards his bedroom.

* * *

No one spoke, not a word.

Elena's indentation in the duvet was still obvious, curled against the broken body of Stefan Salvatore.

"What now?" Matt asked, but no one replied.

Because no one knew.

* * *

**Badum.**

**What's gonna happen? ****Only one way to find out! **

**So... love it? Hate it? What to write a formal letter of complaint to the owners of the website and get it removed?! Let me know!**

**Love you, Preston101 xxxxxxxxx**

**PS. Remember, reviews show your love back :')**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Anger. What can only be described as anger after watching that pile of complete and utter shit. It inspired me into the world of make believe and tada! The first of two parts - enjoy!**

**Btw, I own nothing. If I did, let me tell you I wouldn't have cried myself to sleep after having watched that _thing _online last night. **

**They ruined that Ed Sheeran song too!**

* * *

Jeremy had carried her up as soon as they got out of the car, wanting to avoid anyone seeing her in that state, wanting to avoid questions for as long as possible.

Bonnie proceeded to shed her of her three day old outfit and help her into the pajama shorts and tank top that had been tossed under her comforter from the last time she'd slept.

After sitting with her and trying to coax her to sleep for the best part of forty minutes, she cast the same spell she cast on the night Stefan had been cursed and with tears in her eyes, she watched as Elena's eyelids slowly began to droop and she was dragged into a darkened sleep.

* * *

"_**Yes," Bella stated, gazing into the eyes of her Vampire boyfriend. "I'll marry you," Edward then proceeded to lift her up and swing her round as overdramatic music played from the screen.**_

"**Oh look, it's the granddad shoes again," Stefan muttered.**

"**Shh!" Elena replied quietly, laughing. "You're ruining it!"**

"**No, Kirsten Stewart and her singular expression throughout the entirety of this movie is what's ruining it," He stated.**

"**It's Kristen," She murmured.**

"**Well is it really?" He asked, theatrically. "Believe it or not, 'Lena, but I really don't give one," **

"**Believe it or not, Stef, but I kinda realised that ten minutes in," She muttered, "Now, if you're not ruining the film for me, you're ruining it for Caroline," **

**They both glanced down the aisle to see Caroline sat there, her eyes glued to the screen, tears streaming down her face, so ensconced in the movie that if the theatre blew up, but Eclipse was still playing, she wouldn't have noticed.**

"**It's people like her who give vampires and bad name," He stated.**

"**It's people like you who give boyfriends a bad name," She responded. **

"**Hey, I think you'll find I'm an excellent boyfriend!" He shot back.**

"**In whose opinion?" She quipped, raising an eyebrow at him..**

"**Well," He sighed, she could have guessed he was prepared with a smart ass answer. "If I recall, **_**last night, **_**after I sat through the Notebook, made you your favourite dinner and then completely quelled your extreme sexual desires not once, not twice, but three times, it was you who stated... in my old age, my memory's a bit foggy, what was it?" He grinned at her and even through the darkness he could see her trying and failing to repress a smile.**

"_**Most **_**of the time, you're a good boyfriend," She answered.**

"**Sorry, I seem to recall, you saying I was the **_**greatest**_** boyfriend in... was it the world?" He paused, a look of mock concentration on his face. "No... no... it was the universe," **

"**Shut up," Was all she could come up with, causing him to laugh out loud, making the people in front turn around and give disapproving looks.**

"**If you shut up for the rest of the film, then I will... suck away that cocky attitude of yours," She murmured.**

"**Oh trust me, my lips are sealed," He assured her, wrapping his arm around her belly and pulling her against him. "Not one more word,"**

**They watched the film in silence for a few minutes before Elena felt that familiar feel of his mouth as it assaulted that sensitive bundle of nerves that made her putty in his hands. "Hey, hey," She murmured, after a few moments, beginning to squirm in his grasp. "You promised!"**

"**Mm mi ma meemm," He murmured, his mouth remaining closed and Elena had a strong inkling at what he may have been saying. **

**Suddenly, the memory was over and replaced with a new one.**

"_**D...don't remember me l...like this, rem... remember th...the good times,"**_

**For everyone good dream, there were fifteen bad ones. His voice burnt her sleep, the images of him convulsing in agony, screaming, Dear God his screaming.**

* * *

Suddenly, Elena awoke.

She reached out in the semi darkness of her bedroom, reached out for him but all she felt was chilled sheets. He was gone.

That was when she remembered; it wasn't a dream. Her nightmare was real; he was gone.

It was then that the tears began to fall again, drenching for her already soaked pillow, heart wrenching sobs that hurt more and more with every second.

He was dead; and she wanted to die too.

Bonnie, Jeremy and Alaric simultaneously heard the noise of her sobbing.

The spell had knocked her out for half an hour at best.

"I'll go," She breathed, her voice little more than a whisper before she turned and began her ascension of the steps towards Elena's bedroom.

Pushing open the door gently, Bonnie found herself flashing back to when Jenna had first allowed them to visit her after her parents' death.

She was curled up in the same foetal position then as she was now, gripping the pillow with all her might, drenching it with her tears.

She walked towards her bed in silence, slipping in behind her best friend and brushing her hair back behind her ear whilst rubbing her back.

She couldn't think of any words of comfort.

"What's going to happen to him?" Elena murmured a few moments later, her voice choked and hoarse from all of her crying.

"I don't know," Bonnie replied, honestly. "Care and Damon are there now... making arrangements,"

"I have to go... I have to be with him," She decided, trying to climb out of bed, but Bonnie wrapped her arms around her, preventing her from doing so.

"Sweetie, you need to sleep," She insisted, "OK? Baby, you just need to go to sleep, just sleep and it will seem better in the morning," She lied, holding Elena closely.

"Can I see him?" She murmured, her tears still hitting the pillow in her grasp with a thud each time.

Bonnie nodded. "If you want," She replied. "But that's not him, 'Lena, it's just his body,"

"It's all I have left," She stated, and those five words broke her best friend.

"I'm sorry, Elena," She whispered, her own tears beginning to fall. "I shouldn't have promised you... I should have tried harder..."

"It is not your fault," She responded, reaching for Bonnie's hand and grasping it in her own. There was a pause. "It's Klaus'... he would have wanted this, I mean, he gave the ultimate sacrifice, he gave himself so we could survive... he was a hero,"

"He was," Bonnie agreed.

"Then why doesn't it seem worth it?" Elena asked, turning to her best friend for the first time.

"Because it isn't," She replied.

"Bonnie?" She murmured.

"Yeah?"

"I just want to be on my own right now," She confessed.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie checked and she nodded.

"It's easier to see him that way," She said, tears running down her face again.

She nodded, climbing out of bed again. "Can I get you anything?" She asked but Elena shook her head.

"No thanks," She whispered.

"We're downstairs if you need us," She stated, "I love you, Elena,"

"I love you too," She replied, rolling back over and curling up in the foetal position once again, closing her eyes and letting memories and images of Stefan burn into her retina, further fuelling her grief but for the moment, it made her feel less alone.

* * *

"Should we call someone?" Tyler asked, as he, Matt Damon and Caroline stood in Stefan's bedroom.

"And say what?" Damon responded, quietly. "As far as anyone's concerned, he's was a strong, fit and healthy eighteen year old, people will ask questions," He paused. "People will ask Elena questions and that's not what she needs, no - we deal with this as quietly as possible,"

"How can you talk like that?" Caroline asked, turning to him, tears dripping from her face, like they had been doing for the past fifteen minutes they had been stood in his bedroom. "He's your _brother_!" She spat the word brother in disgust as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing, Tyler, wrapped his arms around her waist tighter, but didn't say a word.

"He's dead, Caroline," He deadpanned. "He's not our priority anymore, Elena is,"

"And he's _Elena's_ priority!" She replied, harshly. "You wanna explain to her, that we have to pretend he moved away?! Never existed?! You want to tell her he's not getting a funeral?!"

"I would have done!" He snapped, "But I wasn't allowed to see her! You saw to that!"

"Is that what you're thinking about right now?!" She asked, almost with a laugh. "Damon, Jeremy was right! She needed to leave and you would have prolonged that! It had nothing to do with you seeing her, Matt didn't see her, Tyler didn't, Ric didn't!"

"Ric's with her now!" He responded.

"And you're with Stefan," Matt cut in suddenly, his voice quiet and grave bringing the sparring couple back to reality.

"What?" Damon checked, having not heard him properly.

"You are with Stefan. You think Elena doesn't want to be with him?" He repeated. "You've got to remember that you should feel privileged to be left with the responsibility of burying him, he's your brother! You've been together for 150 years! You've known Elena less than two,"

"Fine," He shrugged. "Wolfie, Big Mouth, take the Ford in the garage and go and fill it with gas if you want to help, the keys are on the armoire, leave the rest to me and Barbie,"

"Why the Ford?" Tyler asked, regretting the question as soon as it was from his lips.

"It has the biggest boot," Damon muttered.

* * *

"NO! NO!" Elena's screaming could be heard from downstairs and Alaric was on his feet instantly.

"I'll go," He stated, heading for the stairs past Bonnie and Jeremy who were sat together on the sofa, the sandwiches Bonnie had made still sat on the coffee table, untouched.

"OK," They replied, this was the fifth time she had been reduced to screaming hysterically in her sleep, each time the sound was too heartbreaking and agonising to listen to.

Resting her head against his, they both sighed.

"I'm gonna try Caroline again," She announced, taking her phone from her purse.

"She won't answer, it's like ten times you've rung her," Jeremy replied.

"I know, but my battery's nearly dead," She stated. "Do you have a Samsung charger?"

"No, sorry, iPhone, Blackberry and Motorola," He murmured, resting his head on her shoulder as she typed in Caroline's number.

It began to ring, but for the eleventh time, it rang out.

"Something's wrong," She stated.

But exactly what, she didn't know.

* * *

**What's gonna go down?**

**I'm being mean. **

**I'm sorry, but Julie bloody Plec drove me to this.**

**10 reviews for part 2. **

**Ooh meanness does make you feel better.**

**Anywho, let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? Want to crunch it up, throw it on the floor and spit on it?! Let me know!**

**Love you lots,**

**Preston101 xxxxxxxxx**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: You earnt it ;D**

**Here comes Part 2!**

**Usual she-bang - I own nothing**

* * *

"Oh, brother," Damon muttered, staring down at his sibling's body. "What did you do?"

He sat down beside him on the edge of the mattress, surveying his sallow skin and broken, haunting complexion.

"Always had to be the martyr, didn't you? Look where it's got you. You're dead, Stefan. You're dead." He glared down at him. "Where will you be when the next evil comes? Yes, you got rid of the Originals, but we're vampires, Stef, evil is everywhere, danger is all around. And we're a man down now. Well, two if you count, Elena, because she's a state, brother, she's in a real state."

"We're all in a state. Where are you, Stef? What good did any of this come to?" All night, he'd been suppressing something he hadn't felt in over one hundred years: Loss.

He suddenly let out an anguished sob, the emotions he'd been keeping buried down bubbling to the surface.

"You left me, Stefan." He murmured, as tears began to run down his face, but he wiped them away. "We're brothers and you left me. I know that we never really got along, but I always loved you, I always cared about you... I always will." He blinked away what little tears had sprung to the surface, determined not to let anyone know he'd been crying. "The others think I'm being harsh and it is. But I'm doing what you'd want me to do, what you'd do... I'm putting Elena first. She's my responsibility now."

He sighed, gently taking hold of his little brother's hand, grasping it tightly. "That's why no one can know you're dead and I am so sorry for that, Stef. You deserve more than this, you deserve a gravestone, you deserve a funeral, you deserve the whole world knowing what you did... how you saved it. I'm sorry, Stefan, but you're free now brother, you go, don't look back, don't worry about Elena, I love her enough for both of us... I'll look after her, I'll make sure she's happy,"

He gently lowered his hand back down onto the sheet. "Goodbye, Stebs," He murmured, letting a word he had not used since his childhood fall from his lips.

Standing up he gave another sigh, wiping fiercely at his eyes before any liquid threatened them again.

"Look after him, Mama, or you'll have me to answer to!" He muttered, just as Caroline emerged back in the doorway, the folded body bag from the basement in her grasp.

"Matt and Tyler are back, they're parked at the front," She said, her voice quiet.

"OK," He muttered, gazing at Stefan one last time.

"Should we... Should we..." She stammered.

"Should we what?" He asked.

"Should we put anything in with him?" She asked.

"Like what?" He queried.

"Take your pick," She stated, waving her hand around the vast room that was filled with his possessions.

"Erm..." He glanced around. "You pick,"

"What about his journal?" She said after a moment, picking up the thick leather book that still sat on his desk.

"OK," He nodded, reaching out for it as she held it out.

"And his pen?" She added, but he shook his head.

"No, Lexi bought that for his first century, it's engraved, it's traceable... if they ever find his body," He responded and she nodded, slowly placing it back on the table.

"That's it then?" He murmured and she nodded, slowly.

"That's it," She affirmed, desolately.

"You guys ready?" Tyler's voice asked and they both turned to see him in the doorway.

Caroline turned to him and he locked eyes with her, seeing the desperation in her expression.

He knew what this entailed, he'd done it with Klaus a few day earlier – well the body bag bit, they weren't cutting Stefan's limbs off and burning them.

He had to be stripped down to his boxers, zipped in, folded, wrapped up, bundled in, driven, brought out, dug up, placed in, buried, left.

Taking a few strides towards his girlfriend, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and she let out a strangled sob, before he took her face in his hands.

"You OK?" He murmured and she nodded, but the tears streaming from her eyes proved otherwise.

"I want you to do something for me, OK? Can you do this?" He asked and once again, she nodded. "Promise?"

She nodded.

"I want you to go downstairs and wait there until we leave and then I want you to drive to Elena's and stay there until I get back,"

"No, I need to be with him when..." She began but he cut her off.

"He'll be fine, I'll look after him." Tyler insisted, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "Elena and Bonnie need you... and you promised,"

"OK," She whispered, defeated. "Can I do one last thing?"

"What?" He asked.

"Can I get his ring...? For Elena," She asked.

"Here," Damon's voice interrupted, as he eased the gem from his brother's middle finger and walked towards the couple. "Tell her to take care of it,"

She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you,"

"Go on," He replied, "Tyler's right, you don't need to see this,"

"I'll see you later," She murmured and hugged her boyfriend one last time, before gripping the ring in her grasp tightly before heading for the door.

As she descended the stairs, she heard Damon and Tyler talking logistics and was about to cut the sound out when she heard something.

She paused on the step, listening.

Silence apart from their conversation.

Shaking her head, she convinced herself it had been her imagination.

She took another step before she heard it again.

This time it was too clear to ignore.

She turned, hurrying back up the wooden steps before pausing in the doorway.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked.

"Shush!" She replied, waving at him and listening.

"Care, what's wrong?" Tyler said, glancing for her to Damon and back.

"Just be quiet," She ordered, and listened into the deafening silence.

The sound came again.

"Caroline, what's WRONG?!" He demanded, starting to get worried.

"Did you not hear that?" She insisted, gripping the doorframe.

"Hear what?" Damon asked.

It came again, a single beat.

"THAT!" She exclaimed, but received only confused looks.

"What is it?!" She demanded, looking around the room.

When it came again, the boys heard it too.

As they heard it, she placed it.

It was impossible.

"Is that..." Tyler began, struggling to comprehend what he was hearing as another two beats sounded in quick succession.

"It can't be..." Damon responded.

But Caroline walked past them both towards the only logical source of a heart beat.

"Stefan?" She asked, shaking his chest. "Stefan!" No reply.

"Hey, it's only Matt, he's probably come inside," Tyler tried to reason.

"It wouldn't have been that close," She reasoned, desperately.

"Care, it wasn't Stefan, it's more likely to be Damon than it is Stefan," He insisted.

She shook him a few more times, but when he didn't respond, she leant back in defeat.

"I just thought," She murmured, sadly.

"I know," He said, softly, walking to help her to her feet.

Caroline screamed, Tyler fell back and Damon cried out as Stefan suddenly flew up, choking, coughing and panting.

You can't resurrect someone who's not dead.

* * *

**What's gonna happen?! **

**There's only one way to find out! **

**Let me know what you think! Love it? Hate it? Want to attack it with a flame thrower?! Let me know!**

**Love you, Preston101 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I lie down at the mercy of you all and am soo sorry that it has taken me this long to upload! Small cheer though to the end of my exams! And I promise I will be uploading now at least once a week, and we're nearing the end peeps :') I aim to be finished by my birthday which is the third so fingers crossed that happens! Anywho, here it is... we'll call it the reunion... enjoy!**

* * *

Elena rubbed her eyes, wincing slightly as she did so.

Hours of none stop crying had made her face raw, her throat burn and made her feel increasingly sick, but none of these came close to the agonising heartbreak she was experiencing.

'_This is it,' _she thought bitterly, tears still dripping down her face and dropping like bullets onto her drenched pillow, making it more wet and uncomfortable than it already was. _'You're alone, Elena, he's gone, and he's not coming back and it's your fault,'_

She curled up into a ball, tucking her knees to her chest, grasping the pillow tightly with one hand and Stefan's t-shirt that she'd kept in her bed since last May when he'd left in the other, and slowly she allowed the excruciating heartbreak engulf her more than it already was doing. Closing her eyes, she embraced the feeling, which caused her to cry out in genuine pain.

* * *

He let out an almighty groan, resting his face in his hands, coughing, as Damon, Tyler and Caroline stared open mouthed, physically incapable of speaking.

"Stefan?" Caroline murmured after a while, speaking as though any loud noise could make him disappear and staring at him as though he'd well, come back from the dead.

Slowly, he raised his head from where he'd been cupping it in his hands as he'd got used to his surroundings and it took him a second to focus on her.

The first thing that caught her gaze was shining green orbs standing out against the bright and alert white backgrounds of his eyes that were set in his strong, tanned face.

He was back.

She suddenly launched herself at him, hugging him tightly, tears suddenly rolling down her face and the realisation he was alive.

"What...?" He murmured, swallowing dryly. "Where...?"

"You're home," She uttered, answering his unspoken question, "It's OK, you're home!"

He just gazed at her for a moment, before opening his mouth.

"I'm gonna throw up," He responded, throwing back the duvet as Damon and Tyler were still staring at him like he'd just... well come back from the dead.

He tried to stand, but overestimated the power of his legs and stumbled, but Tyler suddenly came back to life, catching him before he fell.

"I've got you," He assured him, helping him back up, but Stefan was quickly gaining his strength and after a few seconds he hurried towards his balcony, wrenching open the door and out into the daylight retching, just as Caroline exclaimed.

"STEFAN, YOUR RING!"

He gulped down lungful after lungful of the afternoon air, still acclimatising to his surroundings, he felt strange, different, inhibited, but in a good way, in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on.

As the feeling of sickness slowly subsided, he turned back towards his room and its inhabitants, as he did so, there was something about the way that the sunlight illuminated him that brought a lump to Caroline's throat as everything became so blatantly clear.

"Your... ring," She murmured, staring open mouthed as Damon and Tyler finally joined her at the door.

He glanced down at his finger, noticed its absence and recoiled back into his bedroom.

"Back out!" Damon ordered, speaking for the first time, before grabbing his brother and heading out into the daylight.

Stefan flinched, covering his face as basic instinct kicked in.

He needn't have done.

He didn't feel a thing.

He couldn't have done.

His beating heart saw to that.

* * *

Elena felt as the mattress dipped behind her, causing her to open her eyes.

"Please eat something," She heard Bonnie murmur as she rested a hand on her back.

She shook her head. "I can't," She replied.

"Come here," She directed, pulling her best friend up from her lying position and wrapping her arms around her.

Elena sought comfort in the contact of Bonnie and rested her head on her shoulder, tears continuing to wrack her body.

"Shh, shh, shh," She comforted, rubbing her back. "Shh, shh, shh,"

There was a movement in the doorway and Bonnie looked up to see Caroline stood there.

"Hey, Elena, look who's here," She murmured and she turned to see her other best friend stood in the doorway.

Slowly, Caroline walked in and sat on the edge of the bed.

She and Elena embraced and as they pulled away, she swallowed, dryly.

Opening her palm, she displayed Stefan's daylight ring for Bonnie and Elena to see, a sight which caused Bonnie to close her eyes in defeat to stop herself from crying, from Elena it withdrew a sound of sheer aguish and distress.

"Here," Caroline stated, handing it to her. "He wanted you to have it,"

"Thank you," Elena murmured, closing her palm around the ring until it began to hurt.

"Now, I need to tell you something but this is gonna be hard, OK?" She asked, receiving a strange look from Bonnie.

"The guys went to take his body and bury it, so no questions would be asked, no suspicion, just a clean operation," She began and saw the sheer look of utter heartbreak in Elena's eyes at the realisation of what she said.

"He's not getting a funeral is he?" She murmured and Caroline shook her head.

"He's not,"

"Is that what you had to tell her right now?" Bonnie asked, rubbing Elena's back with one hand whilst giving her a pointed look of: 'She's even worse now!'

"No what I came to say was that I could really have used you when my cat got run over in fourth grade," Caroline replied, a smile suddenly taking over her face.

"What do you me...?" Bonnie began but was silenced as Stefan appeared in the door

Elena looked towards her doorway where she was looking and let out a shaky gasp.

"Hey," He smiled and Elena just stared at him, frozen.

"We'll leave you both alone," Caroline stated, ushering a still open mouthed Bonnie to her feet as the two of them left the room, making sure to close the door behind them.

The snap of the door closing seemed to rouse Elena to her senses and she exploded, tears falling thicker and faster than they had ever done in her life, she needed to touch him, the kiss him, to have him hold her more than she needed air and collapsed into his embrace as he closed the gap between them and lifted her into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist, her arms wrapping around his neck, both grasps threatening to give way as she was too weak to hold on, but he held onto her.

"I've got you," He murmured into her ear, turning so he sat down onto the mattress, bringing her with him. "It's OK, baby, it's OK," He insisted, rubbing her back as she wept, gripping him tightly.

"Look at me," He directed gently, ushering her head with one hand tenderly and she did so.

"Hi," He greeted, tears suddenly welling in his own eyes.

She opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't find the words, instead, Stefan slowly moved his lips to hers and gently kissed her, her tear drenched face dampening his own.

After a few moments, she broke the kiss.

"Never leave me again," She begged as he softly wiped the tears away from her eyes with the pad of his thumb.

"I'm not going anywhere," He affirmed, tucking her dark hair behind her ear, away from her face. "I am **never** leaving you again," His words, brought tears to her eyes and slowly, their lips met again, their tears mingling.

"I want..." She stammered, breaking away. "I want you to turn me,"

He looked at her in confusion for a moment, his mouth slightly open. "You... don't know," He murmured more to himself than to her.

Slowly, he lifted her back into his arms, as though she were weightless.

With her, he walked towards the window and sat them both down in the window seat, before he reached over and pulled back her closed curtain, the late afternoon sunlight seeping in through the window.

"What?" She asked, looking out warily, fear pounding in her chest.

"Look at me," He directed softly.

Her eyes met his as she sought for some insight, his left arm wrapped closely around her waist he held out his right hand to her, sunlight surrounding it.

It was there, in her bedroom window, that she clued on there was no daylight ring on Stefan's finger, it was on her bed where she had dropped it at the sight of him, yet he was sat in the daylight with no protection.

He was human.

* * *

**Badum!**

**N'aww, gotta love them :')**

**Anyway, let me know what you think! Love it? Hate it? Want to stick it in a room with a lion? Let me know!**

**Preston101 xxxxxxxxxx**


End file.
